


Consequential Decisions

by justbygrace



Series: Renegades & Revolutions [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Evil!Torchwood, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Light Torture, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, NSFW, Telepathy, Worldbuilding, bonded couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-04-04 19:20:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 72,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14027028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: The Place: New Earth, Andromeda GalaxyThe Time: 398 PNEC (Post New Earth Colonization)War has broken out between the Renegades and Torchwood and the citizens of New Earth are caught in the crossfire. What's a Time Lord and Rose Tyler to do except help out? But adventure is waiting around every corner and, well, nothing goes according to plan!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Few Notes Before We Begin:  
> 1\. If you have not yet read Unexpected Consequences you should probably go do that, this'll make more sense after reading that first. I'll wait...  
> 2\. Once again this is a very unholy mix of canon verse elements and the rambling of my own imagination with some rather vague aspects of the 'Firely' verse thrown in just for fun.  
> 3\. All the love to Fleur (for her constant support since waaaaaaaay back in the day and beta help), CSV (for listening to me complain and go on and on about about vague plot ideas at her), & Moony (for her words of encouragement when I was struggling and her continual support) --- Season Two would never have been written without the three of them.  
> 4\. I wrote this for fun, for my own amusement, and to prove to myself that I could. I invite you to journey with me, but I warn you now: I offer no apology for what you'll experience along the way.  
> 5\. This story is complete and will be posted on a regular schedule. Any recognizable dialogue is the Property of the BBC and their affiliates; I just made a few sandcastles in their sandbox.  
> Chapter Summary: In which we catch up on the intervening time

It was early morning on the southern tip of England, New Earth, and the sun's rays were just starting to touch the forest floor. It was unnaturally silent, not a single bird or animal about. Even the creatures seemed to understand that nothing was as it was meant to be in the world. The air was clearer than it had been in weeks, but the smell of smoke was strong and the black rings on the trees were a stark memorial that something tragic had occurred here. 

A bit further south was all that was left of the town called Powell - a smattering of dark holes in the earth and a thick layer of ash. The only thing still intact was a large wooden sign that stood where a dock had once been, hammered into the earth with words crudely etched into the surface. It read "Trespassers Beware. Viva La Revolution - Death To The Renegades." In small letters in the bottom corner a roughly drawn skull had the emblem of Torchwood scratched into it. The sign was perched on a particularly high pile of ash from which a violent smell was emanating. 

In what had once been the center of town stood a man and a woman. They were not speaking, but stood together, hands clasped loosely and looking about them with expressions of concern and sadness respectively. 

It was clear that this was a place they knew well and it was some time before they broke the heavy silence.

"Theta," the woman spoke, her voice broken. "Are they dead? The people who stayed behind?"

He did not answer, but moved so he could gather her in his arms and hold her close. More time passed and at last, Rose Tyler stepped backwards and looked around her. 

"I want to leave," she said, her voice steady. "There's nothing left here."

He nodded, clasping her hand and touching the device on his wrist.

A moment later they landed in a clearing. In front of them was a rough cabin, though a far cry from Pete's mountain hide out. This one was shoddily put together out of old lumber and pieces of sheet metal and looked as if a sharp wind was all it would take to send it tumbling into a garbage heap.

Rose sank to the ground at once and Theta joined her, sitting cross-legged facing her in a familiar position. 

"I knew they'd burn it," Rose admitted, "but I don't think I was ready to see it." 

"I know, love," Theta said, squeezing her hand.

She shuddered. "It's been what? A month? And it still smells so strong!" 

"Six weeks," he answered. "But it'll take longer than that for the smell to fade and for the animals to come back. Death is a powerful deterrent."

Rose shook her head violently, but didn't answer. The last weeks had shown her things that she had not thought she would ever experience back when she was living a quiet life day after day in Powell. The ability to travel via vortex manipulator was astonishing every time and Theta had taken her to nearly every corner of New Earth. He had seemed determined to avoid trouble spots, which were growing more prolific by the day, instead taking them to secluded beaches and quiet clearings in the woods, to fun party spots in Londyn and to taste spectacular new foods in the edgier parts of the cities. The technology she had seen was mind-blowing. The universal credit sticks version of currency was incredible, but it barely compared to the ability to communicate instantly via ATMOS.

And the shagging! She and Theta had quite literally shagged each other across the planet and each time was just as glorious as the last. She was getting better at learning to rely on telepathy during intercourse and it made it easier to use at other times. It was still easiest when they were physically touching, but they found they both enjoyed holding hands and that helped a lot. She was slowly coming to terms with her extended lifespan; she still had a pang of worry about her mum and Tony and Mickey from time to time, but it was usually easiest to ignore that. Being semi-immortal meant compartmentalizing things according to Theta and, though she had found that a bit dark at first, she had learned he was not entirely wrong.

They had checked in with Jackie and company only once and then only for about fifteen minutes. After a few wrong landings while Theta tried to calculate where the group had ended up, they had materialized in the camp one evening to the great shock of everyone. The party was clearly tightly wound and though there had been very little open hostility, it was clear they were no longer completely welcome. They had stayed only long enough to drop off an ATMOS communicator for Jackie and had taken off again.

Jackie had only used it once to inform them that Lute and Coffa and a few others had been killed in a surprise attack by a band of Torchwood's forces when they had stopped to restock in a town that was falsely marked as a reclaimed sanctuary base. Jackie had sounded sad, but there was an edge of determination in her voice when she told them not to come. It was too dangerous at the moment and the party was even more closed to outsiders. 

Even as Rose reminisced on this, she realized the time had come to try again.

"They'll be almost to Berkshyre?" she asked aloud.

"Probably got there yesterday or the day before." Theta glanced at his vortex manipulator. "Last check in had them making better time than I thought they would."

"That's where I want to go." She shook her head when he started to speak. "I need to know the rest of them are safe before we do anything else."

"We could call them?" Theta held up his ATMOS suggestively. "Less dangerous."

"Are you afraid then?" She raised her eyebrows, knowing it would goad him into giving in.

"I'm never afraid!" he protested. "Just don't fancy getting slapped by your mother again."

Rose laughed at the memory. It had indeed been a short visit, but it was long enough for Jackie to enact her irritation against the man who had stolen her daughter along with some choice words on her opinion about the nature of their relationship. 

"She'll get used to you," Rose reassured him. "Eventually. Besides, the last news we got on the wire said Hartman was dead."

She focused her attention on their mental bond, needing him to be honest. They hadn't spent a lot of time discussing the approaching conflict and she wasn't willing to run from it anymore.

"It did," Theta said slowly. "Which means Torchwood will make its bid for power. The Renegades aren't strong enough yet to oppose them in seizing control of government."

"And are we meant to just let them? Not fight them or oppose them?" 

Theta shifted his position. "Of course not."

"But what?" Rose asked, sensing his hesitation. "It's time to get involved. I'm not willing to sit on the wrong side of history. You once told me that you used to get involved, just not always on the right side. Seems to me the right and wrong side here are pretty clear."

"They are," he agreed.

"Theta," Rose began, sensing where some of his hesitation was coming from. "Please don't try to protect me. Am I scared? Of course I am. But I know the right thing to do and getting involved is the right thing to do. Besides, you also told me that we were going to have to get involved. Little stunt with escaping from jail?"

He laughed. "Yes, I remember that. But back then I didn't realize the strength of the protection I would feel towards you now that we are fully bonded. And this war will involve the entire galaxy."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I feel that too. Is that why you were so intent on taking us only to good places the last couple weeks?"

"Yes." He glanced away. "Among other reasons."

She narrowed her eyes at him, focusing her energy on what he wasn't saying. "A honeymoon?" she laughed. "Theta, you are romantic. Who would have believed it?"

Theta growled slightly and covered the rest of the distance between them, capturing her lips with his. "I love you," he whispered against her skin. "And you're right - getting involved is the right thing to do."

Rose grinned before kissing him again. This time her tongue got involved and then her hands. He was no idle bystander and it wasn't too long before he was inside of her. She was certain she would never tire of the feel of him filling her up mentally and physically; it was just as overpowering and exquisite as it had been the very first time. As he moved within her she allowed her mind to open completely so he would be able to see that she was ready to embark on this new adventure with him to save her planet and the galaxy.

Afterwards as they lay together, her head pillowed on his chest, Rose basked in the glow of rightness that was them and their bond. 

"Also," she whispered. "I did make you promise that we wouldn't swan off before making sure everyone was safely settled."

"Swan off! We didn't swan off, exactly," he protested. "Anyway, it would have been too crowded on that boat for more...robust activities. Wouldn't want your mum to catch us at this."

Rose shuddered at the thought of her mum finding her wrapped around a naked Time Lord and had to agree with his assessment. They had spent a good portion of the last six weeks shagging, and the idea of being cramped on board a boat with her mum and brother and Mickey would have been exquisitely uncomfortable.

"So we just needed to shag enough to get it out of our system?" she asked.

"Why?" he demanded. "Are you saying it's all out of your system?"

She rolled her eyes. "I meant is it that way with all newly bonded couples? You just want each other all the time for awhile until you're used to the bond?"

She felt more than saw him shrug. "Never done this before, remember? But yeah, Time Lords usually took a year or two in seclusion after the bonding process."

"A year!" she exclaimed. "Will it take us that long?"

"It's a strong process." He raised his head and looked down at her. "Also the more often we 'try to get out of our system' the easier it will be to be around other people."

She laughed. "First, please don't use air quotes - it doesn't suit you. And secondly, I like your theory. We should definitely keep testing it."

"Yeah?" He grinned, leaning over to kiss her upside-down.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Besides, there is this new thing I've been meaning to try." 

"Yeah?" he repeated. "I'd love to hear all about that."

"How about," Rose maneuvered her way to a sitting position. "Instead of telling you...I show you instead."

"I'm on board for that," he agreed, his smirk turning slack as her hands went to the hem of her shirt. 

She grinned as she finished undressing. This was going to be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they meet some familiar faces (and learn about current events)

It wasn't until the following morning that they were finally able to pack up the last of their belongings from the cabin and get on their way. Rose patted the edge of it as she waited for Theta to scavenge the wires from under the table. She had grown rather fond of the place. They had found it quite by accident and it had been clearly abandoned and perfect for a base of operations. She grinned as she watched Theta shrug on his leather jacket; for all his grumblings about domestics, he was definitely messier than she was.

"Ready?" he asked at last, holding out his hand.

She took it, interlacing their fingers securely. "Are we headed straight for Berkshyre then?"

"Just outside, I think."

"Don't want to give mum a head's up we're coming?" she teased.

He shuddered and entered the coordinates on his vortex manipulator without answering.

"Really need to find you one of these," he muttered just as he hit the final button.

The dragging sensation started immediately and Rose groaned internally. No matter how often they had done this, she never got used to the feeling of being pinched through a tube. There had to be an easier way to travel through space.

When the colors stopped shifting, she discovered they were standing in a grove of trees. It was a young wood, judging by the lack of undergrowth, but before she could really take in their surroundings, a new voice stopped them.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Rose spun around to find a young man with blonde hair holding a lethal looking weapon pointed at their chests.

Theta took a step closer to her and Rose felt his distrust of guns echo in her brain.

"Answer the question," the young man repeated.

"I'm Theta," he answered. "And this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one."

Rose rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. "That's us, then," she said. "And who might you be?" 

"I'm Jake," he told them, lowering the gun slightly before recollecting himself and raising it again. "What are you doing here?"

"Where is here exactly?" Theta asked.

"Berkshyre," Jake announced. "Outpost and stronghold for the Renegades."

"Might not want to be so quick to give out that information, son," Theta said. "You don't know which side we're on."

Jake looked embarrassed and his tone was sulky. "Well, what side are you on then?"

"The Renegades," Theta said cheerfully.

Rose groaned and interjected before this could get heated, "There was a party from Powell heading this way. Have they made it here yet?"

"Why do you want to know?" Jake asked, still sounding irritated.

"One of the members is my mum," Rose told him.

Jake nodded. "They did then. Late last night."

"Wow," Rose looked at Theta. "Right on time!"

He grinned at her and tapped the side of his head. "Time Lord, me. Pretty impressive, remember."

Rose rolled her eyes again and looked back at Jake. "Can you take us to see them?"

"Nope!" Jake said far too happily. "You have to see the leader of the Renegades first."

"And who is that?" Theta asked.

"Suki Macrae Cantrell!" Jake said proudly.

"Ahhhh," Rose and Theta said together, exchanging glances.

"Is that a problem?" Jake asked, eyeing them both.

"Nope!" Theta echoed, but his hand tightened on hers.

Rose tried to suppress a shudder and was certain she caught a whiff of damp tunnel on the breeze, but she turned to follow after Jake along with Theta. Jake walked quickly straight through the woods, not bothering with a path, and Rose tried to concentrate on not losing her footing against one of the logs or snags of grass instead of on whatever was going to happen when they met up with Suki again.

Theta's hand was warm in hers and his thoughts were reassuring. He didn't have a plan, but he was a good deal less worried than she was. Rose rather thought this was because of his extensive history with jail cells and her lack thereof.

The colony of Berkshyre was signifcantly less impressive than the hype about it had led her to believe, especially after spending extended time in Londyn and Cardyff (the city on the opposite end of the land mass). In contrast with the gleaming steel of both of those cities, Berkshyre was a sprawling collection of huts, shoddily created cabins, and tents. It stretched clear down to the water's edge and the noise and general smell was immediately overpowering the moment they stepped from the comforting shade of the trees.

Rose's first thought was that Jackie wasn't going to enjoy this place at all and her second was dismay that all of these people had been forced from their homes. Theta had done such a good job of sheltering her in the last weeks that she hadn't realized how bad the outposts were or how much devastation Torchwood had already caused. It renewed her desire to help and she squared her shoulders in determination as they wound their way through the narrow paths.

They finally came to the far end of the settlement to a long, low building. Jake indicated for them to stop and addressed the guard in low tones.

"What do they need a guard for?" Rose whispered to Theta. "Are they worried about the people?"

"Probably," Theta whispered back. "This many people in these crowded conditions are bound to get restless from time to time. Plus Berkshyre isn't exactly a secret. I'm sure it's made the list of places Torchwood wants to take down."

Before Rose could respond, Jake motioned them forwards and they followed him inside the building. It was cooler inside and much dimmer, the only light from sporadic openings in the walls and roof.

Suki sat at the head of a long metal table and several men and women were sitting and standing around her, but all conversation ceased the moment they entered. 

"Well, well," Suki said, after a moment. "Theta and Rose Tyler, back in my custody at last."

"Strictly speaking, I don't know if we were ever in your custody," Theta objected. "More in that other fine gentleman's."

Suki smiled. "Mr. Jefferson is as rash as he is loyal. He meant well." She beckoned them forwards. "But come and sit, I'd like to hear more about what you've been up to and what brings you here."

Rose and Theta found seats on the low metal chairs and Rose tried to avoid the curious glances of the other occupants in the room. 

"Still looking for another vortex manipulator?" Suki asked once they were seated.

"We are," Theta said. "Know where I can pick one up?"

"I do, but for a price." 

Theta nodded. "That's to be expected in times like these."

"Tell me more about yourself," Suki said. "Last time you seemed so sure we were on the same side."

"We're here because Rose's mum just arrived with a party from Powell and she wanted to see if she had made it safely," Theta explained. "It seems they lost some members of their group due to a Torchwood outpost."

"I heard of that," Suki responded. "That sanctuary was badly guarded and the resulting tragedy is regrettable."

"Regrettable?" Rose burst out. "Those men who died were my friends."

"I'm sure they were, Rose," Suki said. "But this is war and losses are inevitable."

Rose pursed her lips, but sank back in her chair.

"Ask your companion here," Suki went on. "He's seen tragedy and loss in his time." Theta stiffened and she laughed. "You don't think I'd let two strangers such as yourselves escape without doing some research, do you? These are dangerous times. I looked up your old friend Alistair."

"You said he was dead," Theta said in a low voice.

"And indeed he is," Suki agreed. "But there are plenty still alive who knew him and they were eager to talk. And such stories they told. I know who you are, Theta, and, more importantly, I know what you are. Last of the Time Lords."

There was a collective intake of breath from the occupants in the room and Rose felt her heart skip a beat. There was no way they'd be allowed to stay under the radar now.

"We're on your side," she said desperately. "We want to defeat Torchwood and we want to help."

"I admire your fire, Rose," Suki said, resting back in her chair and regarding them.

For a time there was silence in the room and it seemed to Rose like they were stuck in an eternal staring match.

At length Suki nodded and leaned forward. "Very well. I'm inclined to believe you. I think you can be of help to me, but first you'll need to prove your worth."

"Prove our worth how?" Theta asked. "Isn't knowing that I'm a Time Lord enough?"

"It is not," Suki said. "Your kind was never known for taking the side of the oppressed and right now it's Rose that I trust, not you."

Rose sat up a little straighter and gave Theta an amused smile. "I do vouch for him."

"I thought you would," Suki responded. "Before we get into what you can do for me, you'll need to get caught up on current events. I'm not sure what you're aware of while you've been gallivanting around the countryside." She held up a hand to forestall their questions. "I'm the leader of the New Earth Renegades; I know what happens on my planet."

She waved her hand and a man stepped forward and spread a map on the table before them. Several others gathered around as Suki began to talk.

"The first thing you need to know is that a man calling himself the Professor has already stormed the capital and seized control. I'm sure he's slaughtered any loyal members left inside, may their souls rest in peace. I've heard rumors of his existence for awhile now and we cannot underestimate him; he'll have tricks we'll be playing catch up with. 

"He sent out his first broadcast two nights ago to all of the planets in the Andromeda Galaxy. The worst of the fighting will be here on the capital planet, but war is breaking out everywhere. He's been marshaling forces almost as long as I have and now has the voice of the government and the 'nets on his side. No one can broadcast a counter message on the main airways without instantaneous retaliation from Torchwood.

"In fact, according to my sources he's bulked up Torchwood on every planet and is sending extra forces and supplies to all Satellite stations. All waterways and main roads are being watched. The only safe way to travel is by vortex manipulator and then only to designated safe spots. Travel to other planets is the next thing we expect him to crack down on and we're limiting it already.

"The good news is we still have many outposts that are well guarded and more men infiltrated in his forces than he's aware of. I also expect the common people will stay angry as Torchwood's power and brutality continues to grow unchecked. And, most importantly, I have plans and the best heads in the galaxy working on more."

Suki leaned forward to indicate the map. "Zachary contacted me this morning and informed me that the Professor already plans to start an uprising by introducing a Nestene Consciousness to Central Londyn. Now, we don't...."

She was cut off by Theta's incensed snort. "A Nestene? Those are child's play."

"I'm glad you think so," Suki said coolly. "Because that's your first mission. Go to Londyn and defeat the Consciousness."

"A day's work," Theta waved his hand dismissively. "By the way you were talking, I thought you meant this Professor had more than just toddler toys at his command."

"And he does," Suki responded. "My guess is this was something he introduced a while ago. He's going to start small to test the response. I thought you'd know more about war."

Rose placed her free hand on Theta's arm, squeezing it with gentle pressure and willing him to calm his quickening heart rate. After a moment he relaxed. "Of course."

Suki nodded. "As I was saying, we don't know where the Consciousness is located, but I was able to procure a bottle of anti-plastic."

A bottle of something blue was pressed into Suki's hand by an aide and she held it out towards Theta. "I trust you'll know what to do with this."

Rose was confused by the descriptions of the mission, but Theta's thoughts reassured her that he would explain as soon as he could. Meanwhile she was busy trying to keep him calm enough to prove themselves to Suki without getting thrown into jail again.

Theta accepted the bottle with a brief nod. 

"Alright!" Suki clapped her hands. "I'll give you the day to meet up with your family, but I expect you back here at nightfall ready to leave."

Rose and Theta stood and started for the door, but paused at the sound of her voice.

"I thought about taking your vortex manipulator to ensure your cooperation," she paused at Theta's low growl, "But decided against it. However, you should know there is nowhere you can go where I cannot find you."

"I rather think that's not true," Theta said, rounding back towards her.

"We're not going to run off to the Professor," Rose interrupted hurriedly. "We're on your side."

"And I do want to believe you," Suki said in a gentler tone. "There is a lot of honesty about you. But this is a war and I cannot have people I can't trust on my side running my missions."

"I understand," Rose said, using the pressure of their joined hands to pull Theta out of the door.

She waited until they had gotten a few paces from the door to drag Theta towards the woods and behind a tree. She knew the likelihood of privacy was slim to none, but she needed what she could get. Gently pushing him so his back was to the tree, she went up on her toes to kiss him soundly until she could feel his nerves calming down.

"Got your attention?" she asked at length.

He grinned. "Fancy an audience?"

"No," she said, "Not one of my current fantasies. Maybe some other time. Listen, we'll get through this. Together."

"I know," he said, shoulders dropping. "She can easily get under my skin."

"I could tell," Rose snorted. "But let's go take out this Consciousness and go from there, okay?"

"Okay." He leaned forward to kiss her again.

She was so intent on the feel of his lips moving against hers that it took several seconds of someone clearing their throat before Rose jerked backwards. She caught sight of Theta's face and had a flash of fear about the look in his eye the moment before he opened his mouth. 

"Hello there Rickey! Good to see you again!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they meet the familiar faces they intended to

Rose took a moment to glare at Theta, his "fancy an audience" comment suddenly making a great deal more sense, before turning around to greet Mickey.

Mickey was standing a few short paces away looking, frankly, shell-shocked. She would have been more amused if her brain wasn't also providing her details about his general appearance. Mickey's clothes were torn, there was a new bandage on his forearm, and his face was dirty; he looked like he hadn't slept in a week and had been living rough. 

"Mickey?" Rose stepped forward to hug her old friend tentatively.

Mickey smiled and met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her. 

His arms were familiar and comfortable and Rose had to shut her eyes against sadness at everything that had changed. After a moment though she stepped backwards towards Theta, one hand reaching out automatically for his - needing the feel of his calloused fingers between hers to ground her in the feeling of unreality. 

"It's good to see you, Micks," Rose smiled. "I'm glad you made it safely."

"Yeah, good to see you too Rose! Glad you aren't, you know," he waved his hand at Theta, "dead!"

"Nope, not dead," she said, ignoring Theta's snort. "Where's everyone?"

"Just through this patch of trees. Come on, Jackie'll be thrilled to see you."

Mickey headed at an angle through the trees and Rose and Theta followed. 

"Heard about Lute and Coffa then?" Mickey asked over his shoulder.

"Did, yeah," Rose said. "Mum called us on ATMOS."

"Yeah, that thing's neat, huh!" He navigated a log with ease. "The tech that's out there is amazing."

"Are you happy to be out of Powell?" Rose asked, aware of the shock coloring her tone but unable to do anything about it. "You know they burned it."

"I'm sure they did." Mickey paused and looked back at her. "But we missed so much. And Rose, I'm good at tech."

Rose nodded, impressed. "That's cool Mickey - you found your gift."

"Yeah, think so. I can fix most anything."

Theta snorted again and Rose elbowed his ribs. "Be nice, you," she muttered.

"Just never picked Mickety-Mick for being the tech sort. More like a tin dog."

"Oi!" Mickey exclaimed, but at that moment they turned the corner and the campsite of Powell was spread out before them.

Rose lost the rest of Mickey's complaints in staring about her. Just like in the rest of Berkshyre, the main source of housing appeared to be tents which were being constructed all around them out of large canvas cloths.

"Where'd you get these?" she asked. 

"Suki gave 'em to us," Mickey explained. "They have enough for one per family group, more or less."

"Rose!" Several people shouted at once and they were suddenly surrounded by a group all talking at once.

They seemed a lot more thrilled to see her now that they were no longer traveling and Rose was soon separated from Theta in the excitement. The questions came at her faster than she could answer, but no one seemed entirely bothered by this and Rose was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume. She was relieved to see Gwyneth and she shared a fond hug with her old friend. Before she had a chance to catch up though, she heard Jackie's voice.

The crowd immediately parted to admit her and Jackie stalked over and gathered Rose in her arms. If hugging Mickey was familiar, hugging Jackie was doubly so and Rose's eyes filled with tears at the familiar smell of woodfire and cinnamon and her mum. They stayed locked in a hug for a while, Jackie's voice soft and soothing and at last Rose felt calm enough to step back.

"And here's himself," Jackie said, nodding at Theta who had materialized at Rose's side.

"Jackie!" Theta greeted her and there was a definite edge of hysteria in his voice.

"Well come on, we can use two people with strong arms to finish putting up the tent." Jackie turned and wound her way through the mass of people.

Rose looked at Theta and smiled at his nervous expression. Choosing to ignore the people still around them, Rose leaned over to press a quick kiss to his lips, letting her love for him flood through their connection.

"Come on," she said. "This could be fun!"

It was fun, after a fashion. Tony was thrilled to see his sister and was full of stories of his adventures. His relationship with Jackie seemed to have been improved as well and Jackie referred to him as the proper man of the house, her eyes twinkling with love. 

Jabe had taken up residence with Jackie, Tony, and Mickey and she embraced Rose tenderly, tears standing in her eyes. She seemed fragile, but determined and she did as much work as any of them towards setting up the tent.

Various people kept stopping by to say hi or to lend a hand and once the Tylers' tent was erected, they wandered about helping others. There were plenty of suspicious looks still directed at Theta and once or twice at Rose, but everyone looked mostly relieved to see them. However, Rose had a dawning suspicion that everyone expected them to stay and one or two things Jackie said seemed to indicate the same. Knowing she had a few tough conversations in front of her, Rose snagged Theta's elbow when no one was paying attention and steered him to the side.

"I've got to talk to mum. And Mickey," Rose told him. "It might be awhile, but I have to do it."

Theta lowered his eyebrows, clearly disliking the thought.

Forestalling his objections, Rose went on, "We only have about an hour until nightfall and I won't go disappearing without a proper goodbye this time. They deserve an explanation of sorts."

Theta still looked stubborn, but he nodded. "I trust you know what you're doing," he told her. "Just try not to go into particulars about us, especially with your mum."

"Theta!" She smacked his arm and then kissed the smirk off his face.

Which is the moment Tony chose to come looking for them.

"Rose!" he exclaimed.

"Make that three conversations," Rose muttered to Theta before turning to face her little brother. "Hi Tony!"

"Whatcha snogging him for?" Tony demanded, arms crossed. "He's an alien."

"He is an alien," Rose agreed. "And I love him."

"Ew! Why?"

"Why indeed?" Rose asked, glancing sideways at said alien whose smirk was firmly back in place. "Love is weird, Tony. But I do. And I'm going to travel with him for awhile."

"Travel where? Back to Powell?"

"No, Tony," Rose sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, patting the seat next to her.

She waited until Tony came over and sat down before continuing. 

"Powell is gone. Torchwood burnt it."

"Everything? Our cabin? And the well? And the school?" Tony's eyes were wide at the news.

"Yep," Rose confirmed. "Even the school."

"Well that's not all bad then. But why do you have to go off with him? Are you going to make Torchwood pay for burning our town?" Tony smacked one fist into his other palm.

"No, well, not really. We're going to help a group called the Renegades -"

"I heard of them! They run this place too!"

"They do. We're gonna help them defeat Torchwood and the man called the Professor."

"How're you gonna do that?" he asked.

"I don't know yet," Rose admitted. "But we are going to be gone for awhile and we might not be back for a long time."

"Or you might not ever get back," Tony said. "It's dangerous and people die. Like Lute and Coffa and Moxx and Timmy and Cren."

"Yes, it is dangerous," Rose agreed. "But we're going to try really hard not to die. I can't promise we won't die, but we're certainly going to try."

"I'm pretty good at not dying," Theta spoke up suddenly. "I'm pretty indestructible."

"Cause you're an alien."

Theta laughed. "Yeah, cause I'm an alien."

"Well you better keep Rose indestructa-whatever too!" Tony told him, leaping to his feet.

"I'll do my very best," Theta said. "You have my word."

"Okay," Tony nodded.

"I love you, Tony," Rose said, holding out her arms.

Tony hugged her fiercely and just as quickly pulled backwards. 

"Can you get mum now? I need to tell her too."

"She's gonna be mad!" Tony warned, dancing backwards and then turning and running full out towards the group of people.

"Well, that went well," Rose said.

"And only two more conversations!"

"Shut up!"

Before Theta could retaliate, Mickey emerged from the trees.

"Mickey!" Rose exclaimed, jumping a little at his sudden appearance.

"You're leaving?" Mickey demanded, crossing his arms and glaring.

"I am...we are," Rose amended. "Tonight as a matter of fact."

"But you just got back! That's not fair!"

"Mickey, if you heard my conversation with Tony then you know we are working to overthrow the Revolution," Rose explained.

"Yeah, but why's that got to be your job?"

"Because someone's got to and I'm not content to sit around here instead of being out there fighting."

"So you're saying I'm a tin dog too?"

"No!" Rose sighed and sank back on the bench. "Someone's got to stay here too. We've all got our roles to play."

"This is his fault!" Mickey spun towards Theta.

"It's not!" Rose interrupted. "You know I'm not content at home."

"What's this about not being content at home?" Jackie asked, arriving on the scene.

Rose groaned and buried her face in her hands for a moment. "Listen! I meant to do this separately, but I see I've got to do it at the same time. Hartman is dead! The government is fallen! Torchwood has taken over! I'm not content to stand by and just let our galaxy fall into ruin. I want to be out there doing something!"

"This is his fault," Mickey repeated grumpily.

"It's not really," Rose protested.

"It is," Jackie disagreed. "But I know you and even if himself hadn't come along you'd be wanting to go and do something."

Rose looked at her in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that, Rose Tyler," Jackie said, hands on her hips. "I've seen the way you pined away over those fancy Londyners. I knew I wasn't going to keep you home forever. And I may not like that one, but I can see he's done you good. After all, not many kidnappers bring their victims back to see their mums."

"Mum!" Rose explained, before catching sight of the teasing glint in Jackie's eye. "Oh mum!"

She gave a choked sob and stood up, holding out her arms blindly. Jackie wrapped her daughter in a hug and they stayed that way for a long time. Eventually Jackie stepped back and pressed a kiss to Rose's forehead. 

"Just bring her back to me," Jackie said, turning suddenly on Theta. "Can you promise me that?"

"I promise I'll try," Theta hedged.

"But you can't promise you will." Jackie pursed her lips. "I can't stop you and I won't try, but I sure wish I could, I tell you that."

She took a step back and nodded at Mickey, "Come on then, there's more to be done." With a last long look at Theta and Rose, Jackie turned and was gone.

Mickey stayed where he was staring at Rose with blind fear. "You won't come back," he burst out.

"Mickey," Rose said softly.

"No! You don't know!" Mickey was practically yelling. "You don't know what it's like. All the fighting and the bugs and the dirt. Everyone's scared all the time. And they think he did it! And they are mad at us. Think I shouldn't have helped you bring him in. And I wouldn't have, Rose, I wouldn't have!"

"Mickey, I'm sorry," Rose pleaded, holding out her hands to him. "But I can't stay here."

"You're selfish! All you think about is you and him!"

Rose took a sharp breath in and backed away from Mickey's anger. She had expected Jackie's wrath, but not Mickey's, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

"I'll be back, Mickey," she whispered. "I don't know when, but I will."

He shook his head and turned and stalked off in the direction that Jackie had gone and Rose stayed where she was feeling like the bottom had dropped out of the world. She slowly became aware of Theta's hand in hers and the calm he was funneling her direction. It took several moments of just breathing, but eventually she was able to turn and look up at him.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Theta said.

"I know. It's not your fault," Rose took a shaky breath. "It's almost nightfall. Are you ready?"

"If you are."

Rose nodded and together they turned and began the walk back to Suki's headquarters and the mission ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they set out on the first adventure

Suki was at the door to meet them when they arrived back at the headquarters. She was flanked by Jake and another young man who looked vaguely familiar and who gave Rose a once-over as they approached. Rose felt Theta bristle next to her, but she focused her attention on Suki and could only hope Theta would do the same. They didn't have time to be distracted by petty arguments with strangers who found her attractive.

"Right on time," Suki greeted them. "There are a few more supplies that all Renegades are sent out into the field with. Adam?"

Rose felt a flash of recognition as the new young man stepped forward eagerly, holding out some paraphernalia towards Rose. It was the same enthusiastic young man from the tunnels. He looked older now that she saw him in the light and she disliked the permanent sneer on his lips. However, she saw the opportunity for what it was and immediately tilted her head towards Theta.

"Give it to him," she said. "He's got very large pockets."

She felt Theta's appreciation even as Adam's eyes narrowed. 

"Fine," he said. "This is psychic paper; it shows..."

"Whatever the user wants them to see," Theta finished, snagging it from Adam. "Used it before."

Adam flinched but held out a small bag. "A..."

"Trans-dimensional bag!" Theta smiled, accepted it, and immediately passed it to Rose. "We'll pack your bag in this. Make it easier on you instead of lugging around that pack."

Rose had a vague idea what she was holding based off of listening to Theta mutter while working the past weeks, but didn't pursue the matter further since Adam was talking again, holding a small earbud in his hands.

"Only have one," he said. "It's a translator so..."

"The alien languages are translated?" Rose asked. "Seems pretty self-explanatory."

Theta chuckled and even Suki smiled, but Adam's expression only grew darker as he lifted a very familiar object and extended it towards them.

"I assume you know what this is also?" he asked sarcastically.

"Of course. Laser-powered gun. Won't be needing that," Theta dismissed the gun with a wave of his hand.

"You're going up against unknown forces," Adam protested. "You'll need to be armed."

"Don't believe in guns, me," Theta disagreed.

"They are real whether you believe in them or not," Adam muttered.

"Alright enough!" Suki interrupted before Theta could respond. "To each their own. If you want to go unarmed that's on your head. Hand over the transmitter and let's get on with it."

Adam sulkily handed over a small metal box and Theta accepted it with no comment.

"Know how it works?" Adam demanded.

"More or less," Theta agreed. "I assume it'll transmit a signal to tell me approximately where the Nestene is based off airwaves."

Adam looked grumpier than ever, but Suki nodded approvingly. "You're turning out to be every bit as devastatingly intelligent as I'd heard you would be. Now, do you understand the mission goals?" 

"Defeat the Nestene Consciousness and try not to die in the process," Theta said airily. 

"About sums it up," Suki agreed. "Do this in less than twenty-four hours and I'll throw in a vortex manipulator along with official Renegade coins."

Rose started to ask what she meant by that, but Suki waved her off. "Later! For now you need to set your coordinates for Londyn; it grows late."

Theta nodded, readjusted his grip on Rose's hand, and pressed buttons on his wrist. "See you in a couple of hours then!"

And then the sucking sensation started and they were moving. Rose closed her eyes against the dizzying colors. The farther away the destination, the longer the trip and Rose was certain she was never going to fully enjoy traveling this way.

They landed in a desolate part of the city in what looked like a deserted alley, though Rose knew better. The overcrowding in New Earth cities was getting worse since tensions had risen on the capital planet. People didn't seem to know if they would be safer in the city or the countryside and for a time there had been equal movement in both directions. Eventually the government, with the help of Torchwood, had installed tougher taxes and fees for those living in the country and it became easier to obtain food and other necessities in the city. Since then the number of people crowded in the city limits was steadily rising and the resources available were hardly enough to go around.

All of this passed through Rose's mind as she stared at the damp cobblestone street and brick buildings which surrounded them. The standing water at the edge of the street was giving off a powerful odor and here and there were mounds of garbage that looked to contain everything from food wrappers to dead rats. 

Rose shuddered and moved a little closer to Theta. A cold breeze swept over them creating prickles along the back of Rose's neck.

"It's getting colder," she remarked in a whisper. "Winter is coming."

Theta nodded, still looking around to get his bearings. "Look down that way and tell me what you see," he said, indicating which direction.

Rose looked where he was pointing. "It's a narrow path," she told him. "Looks like there are people down there. I see tents. Why would there be tents?"

"Nowhere else for them to go," Theta said shortly. "And that way?"

"That way is uptown," Rose said gesturing towards a sign. "Says Marketplace on it. And that way is the waterfront and that way?" She paused and stared into the darkness. "Tall buildings. They look rich."

"In the shipping district then," Theta mused. "We need to get to a vantage point to get a clearer signal. This road climbs if I remember right."

He started off down the street, holding the metal box in front of them, and Rose kept pace with him.

"What are we looking for?"

"The Nestene need to project from something. I can't think of anything large enough, but maybe they've redesigned."

Rose rather doubted they had redesigned the city of Londyn since they had last been here, but didn't consider this wise to say out loud. 

"What is this Nestene Consciousness anyway?" she asked instead.

"A disembodied life force, a hive mind race, and a singular entity existing as energy with the ability to possess plastic," Theta explained. "Physical manifestation for the Consciousness is conceptual, being more than just a brain in flesh; it can exist in various forms, various places, and even various times."

"Say what now?"

Theta chuckled. "The Nestene don't communicate with each other with words like you and I. They are a hive mind - they think together. They can take a variety of shapes and rarely appear the same way twice. The most important thing to know is when they unleash their power the plastic in the blast zone will come alive and try to kill people."

"The wires, the dishes, ATMOS," Rose listed, breathing hard from the climb.

"The breast implants."

"The what? You know what - I don't want to know." Rose shook her head. "So we're going to find where it's been installed and dump the anti-plastic in and be done with it."

"Of course not," Theta disagreed. "That's Suki's way. I'm going to give it a chance to leave peacefully."

"Can it do that?"

"It can, not sure if it will." 

The road they were traveling had come at last to the top of the city and Rose stared out over the city in awe. Despite all of the issues with the capital city she still loved the beauty of it. This was the view that always showed behind all of the official broadcasts - the one that were streamed into every home on every planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. She hadn't often seen those broadcasts, but Pete had shown her one or two when she was small and she still remembered the feelings of awe and desire to be right here in this spot.

Each glittering light stretching out towards the horizon represented at least one person, probably more and when she thought of those souls who had no idea of the danger they were in, her heart turned over in sympathy. 

"Alright, so what are we looking for?"

Theta however was glaring at the box in his hand. "It was just transmitting, but I lost the signal! I was so close!"

"Faulty tech," Rose nodded. "Happens to the best of us."

Theta rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth lifted up slightly.

"So this Nestene - what's it got against us?"

"Nothing!" Theta explained. "It loves you. Probably didn't even complain when they helped install it. It's always loved humans and their Earths. You've got lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air."

"Not anymore!" Rose exclaimed. "This planet is cleaner than the last one."

"Was cleaner," Theta corrected. "You humans, blundering about in the galaxy - you can't help but make a mess. And learning from your mistakes? Of course not! That's something you never do. All this tech has to come from somewhere. Won't be long till you're dumping oil in the waters and wondering why the weather patterns are changing again."

Rose shook her head at him, but his tone was more gently exasperated than full-on irritated and so she let it go. Besides, she had learned that Theta needed one good diatribe against humanity a day to keep him healthy and happy.

"Anyway," he went on. "It's perfect. Its food planet was destroyed in the war so New Earth: dinner!"

"Won't that affect the Professor and them too?" Rose asked. "Why put something into effect that could threaten their lives?"

"Ahh. Two reasons most likely. They probably have a plan to keep some people safe once the Nestene starts transmitting and people like that never think that far in advance. The Professor probably installed it not knowing what it did! Besides, controlling the population is becoming a serious topic of conversation."

He moved to start pacing the bridge. "But first we need to find it! How can you hide something that big in a city this size?"

"Hold on - hide what?"

"The transmitter! It's controlling all that plastic so it needs a transmitter, like this one, but much bigger to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter!" Theta exclaimed, and Rose knew he was getting antsy. "Round and massive and somewhere right slap-bang in the center of Londyn."

He was walking faster now, but aimlessly, using his hands to gesture. "A huge metal circular structure! Like a dish! A wheel! Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

His movements had taken him to the railing overlooking the city and he stared at Rose with frustration clearly evident on his face. Her attention was immediately arrested by a structure that exactly matched that over his shoulder. It's name, if she remembered correctly, was the Londyn Eye - based off a similar structure back on the old planet. It didn't do much, but it had always been one of the landmarks she could see from Powell and so she was particularly fond of it.

She nodded at it and waited for him to turn. He did so and looked back at her with confusion.

"What?"

She nodded again, raising her eyebrows. This time when he turned she focused her attention on their bond, projecting the information telepathically. 

"Oh!" She heard his gasp of awe. He turned back around, grin wide and happy. "Fantastic!"

Reaching out to grab his hand, he whispered "Run!" and they took off, running down the street and cutting across side streets. They mostly stuck to the shadows and, despite Theta's confusion about the city earlier, he seemed to know exactly which alleys to take. It didn't take too long before Rose had a bit of a stitch in her side and she was just starting to wonder why they hadn't just teleported to it when they reached the base of the Eye.

"Okay," Theta said and Rose groaned to note he didn't sound even slightly out of breath. "So we found the transmitter. The consciousness must be somewhere nearby."

Rose glanced around and noticed a manhole cover similar to the one through which they had traveled when they first met Suki. "What about down there?"

"Looks good to me," he agreed.

There was a wheel on top and when Theta had turned it enough, he was able to lift the cover off. The hole had an odd reddish cast to the light and steam rising into the air and Rose disliked it at once. As before Theta climbed down first and Rose followed immediately after. This time the ladder was only a few rungs and they were on a solid concrete platform almost at once. The whole place was filled with the same reddish light and it was many degrees warmer than the surface had been. 

The area they were standing in was small and cramped with many levers and boxes. To the left was a metal door and it looked like the only way in or out. Theta nodded to it and he and Rose worked together to open it. It squeaked horribly and Rose was certain it was going to bring a whole hoard of Nestene or Torchwood down upon them, but when they stepped through not one human was waiting.

They found themselves on the top stair of a long metal staircase that wound its way around, ending in a pit that was full of what looked like undulating flesh. Rose shuddered, but forced herself to follow Theta as he made his way down the steps. He stopped on the first platform and leaned over the railing.

"The Nestene Consciousness," he told her. "There, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"So if you're not going to tip in the anti-plastic, what are you going to do?" Rose asked, thinking that was sounding like a better idea the more she thought about it.

"I've got to give it a chance - I'm going to try to reason with it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a showdown

Theta turned away from her and continued descending the stairs, stopping at the second to last platform down. Rose stayed at the platform above, sensing that the two of them standing together spelled disaster.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Conscious, under peaceful contract according to Convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation!" Theta said loudly. 

Rose startled at his words. The Shadow Proclamation was the reason humans had been able to leave Old Earth and migrate into space; she wondered what else it had to say.

The mass in the vat undulated some more and let out a growl.

"Thank you!" Theta said and Rose assumed the growl had been an acknowledgement since the earbud was firmly in his ear, not hers.

"If I might have permission to approach?"

Again the vat grumbled.

Theta looked back at her and smiled. "I'm going all the way down," he said. "You should stay here."

Rose bristled a bit at his words, but the soothing sensation that followed relaxed her. She realized that he hadn't meant the words as a command, he was simply agreeing with her assessment they shouldn't be too close together.

Theta finished descending the stairs until he was standing directly on the platform overlooking the vat. Rose stepped forward so she could lean over the railing and watch the proceedings.

"Am I addressing the Conscious?" Theta asked.

The mass in the vat moved some more, growling and spitting, and then a large portion of it lifted up almost like a head. It was grotesque to witness and Rose flinched, but Theta looked unshaken.

"Thank you," he said again. "If I might observe, you infiltrated this planet by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest with the greatest respect that you shunt off."

He glanced back at Rose and she rolled her eyes at the twinkle in his. Only Theta could stand on the edge of a vat of alien ooze and make jokes. The Conscious seemed not to like the joke and growled all the louder. 

"Oh don't give me that!" Theta exclaimed. "You weren't invited by the proper authorities and you know it! Don't talk about contractual rights!"

The Conscious reared and growled, splashing liquid from the vat. 

"I am talking!" Theta shouted and the movement subsided somewhat. "This planet doesn't need this right now! They are just starting out with a new batch of humans. Sure they are stupid little people just stretching their wings, but they are learning; they are capable of so much more. I'm asking you, on their behalf - please, just go."

There was a movement from behind him and two figures in dark clothing marched forward. 

"Theta!" Rose yelled a warning, just as the figures reached him. 

Before he could react the figures had grabbed each arm and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't free himself. It took her a moment to realize that the figures were not human. 

They were instead plastic robots, the sort that were popular for children or could be programmed to run simple errands. Rose had only seen them once or twice, but Theta had explained their use one day while they were exploring the marketplace again and one of them had startled her. They were newer technology and extremely popular. Rose had forgotten all about them in the talk of plastic coming alive and had a sudden vision of everyone's personal robots turning on the humans. 

Below her one of the robots had removed the vial of anti-plastic and was holding it aloft. The Nestene was growling and roiling in its vat harder than ever.

"That was just insurance!" Theta protested. "I wasn't going to use it. I'm not attacking you; I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy."

The growls were more pronounced and Theta's face fell as he listened. 

"That's not true! I should know; I was there!" he said, his voice breaking.

Rose could feel the raw pain emanating from him and she clutched the railing with white knuckles. Whatever the Nestene was saying, it was about the war and the destruction of Theta's people. 

"I fought in the war," Theta cried. "It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world, I couldn't save any of them!"

The Nestene reared its grotesque head from the vat and ooze flew in all directions as it growled.

"What's happening?" Rose yelled.

"It knows who I am!" Theta shouted. "It recognizes the danger I pose and it's terrified. It's going to the final phase; it's starting the invasion!"

Rose clenched the railing tighter as she thought of all of the unsuspecting people who were about to get attacked.

"Get out, Rose! You should go!" Theta called up to her, trying to jerk free from the grip of the robots.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" she shouted back.

The building started to shake and a loud noise from above her told her that the transmission had started. As the Nestene jerked wildly in the vat, large chunks of rubble began to fall from the ceiling. One of the largest sections caught the edge of the stairs and sent it toppling down. Rose dropped to a crouch as more stones dropped around her, her mind filled with horror.

Theta struggled against the robots and managed to half turn so he could look up at her. As their eyes met, she felt him projecting calm and love outwards to her and she gathered it close to her heart. This was what she had signed up for and she was determined not to stand helplessly by. 

Looking upwards she saw a chain hanging from the ceiling that was bolted to the wall not far from where she was standing. A flash of inspiration caught her and she knew what to do. Standing up and grabbing an axe that had been left leaning, Rose swung it at the bolts watching the sparks that flew back at her.

"I might not be well educated," she yelled as she struck the metal. "And I might not have a country anymore. Or a place to live. But I was promised forever with Theta and I'll be damned if I let this Nestene come between us!"

She smashed the axe down with all her might one more time and the bolt shuddered and broke. Grabbing the end of the chain, she hoisted herself up and then backed up so she could get a running start. Keeping an eye on her target and with a yell that was part fear, part triumph Rose kicked off the ground and swung into the open space. She had timed her swing well and in a smooth arc, her feet hit the robot holding the vial of anti-plastic sending him flying out into space over the vat. For a heart-stopping moment he stayed suspended in the air and then he was falling, the vial breaking on impact and liquid sinking into the Nestene.

The other robot was distracted by her movement, giving Theta a chance to break free and send him hurtling over the edge after the first. Theta immediately scrambled up the stairs, catching her on her second backswing. There was no time to stop and congratulate themselves though; the vat was bubbling wildly now, the Nestene rocking from side to side in panic.

"Now we're really in trouble," Theta exclaimed. 

Above them a pipe burst, sending water and sparks cascading down.

"Let's go!" Rose yelled and Theta hit the button on his wrist.

The journey was longer than she was prepared for and when they landed, Rose stumbled forward out of breath. Theta's arms were still supporting her and he pulled her backwards to rest against his chest. For a time she just leaned against him and breathed. The familiar smell of leather comforted her and it was reassuring to hear his hearts beat beneath her ear. 

Eventually she pulled back and then laughed when she saw they were in the meadow outside of the ramshackle cabin.

"Back here again?" she chuckled.

He shrugged. "First place I thought of."

She nodded. It seemed like an age since the last time she had seen this place, instead of merely that morning. 

"Besides," Theta said, moving closer. "Near death experiences averted means proper celebrations afterwards."

He leaned forward and captured her lips in his. She wasted no time in kissing him back, bringing her hands up to rest on his waist. At length though she pulled back, enjoying his whine of disappointment as he tried to follow her.

"We have to check in," she reminded him. 

"There is time enough later," he complained, leaning forward to kiss her again.

She allowed that for a moment and then pulled back again.

"I'm not interested in Adam showing up here because we didn't show up there!" she said and laughed at his shudder.

"Don't mention that twat."

"They'll have gotten news of what happened," Rose reasoned. "Besides I'm sure they won't send us out immediately. We can come back here right after."

Theta nodded and then pulled his ATMOS out of his pocket. "We could just call!"

"Even better!"

Theta passed the device to her and she pressed the button that would connect them to Suki. She answered immediately and her hologram appeared in the air above the ATMOS. The conversation didn't take more than a few moments and Suki was full of praises for their quick work. Rose thought she heard Adam grumbling in the background, but couldn't make out the words. Suki agreed they could take the rest of the night off and told them to be back in Berkshyre at noon the following day.

Rose pressed the button that removed Suki's hologram and turned towards Theta. "Now, where were we?"

Theta's eyes had a predatory gleam as he took her in his arms. "I think," he whispered, his voice husky, "we were right about here."

And he covered her lips with his.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is smut (seriously, this is PWP)

Rose felt him harden against her as she pressed closer to him, brushing his tongue with hers. It was intoxicating, kissing him, even as often as they'd done it - like kissing the essence of time and coming home all at once. She enjoyed the feeling of his lips against hers, the slight taste of the midday meal they'd shared with the folks back in Berkshyre, the growl she felt vibrating his chest. His hands settled on her hips, fingers wrapped around so the tips rested against her bum.

He had easy access to her neck and he took full advantage of it, nibbling lightly and pausing here and there to suck a bit harder, never quite hard enough to leave a permanent mark, just to leave her gasping, throat thrown back for his tasting pleasure. He knew the exact spot that always made her see stars and was taking full advantage of it. 

As he sucked particularly hard on the juncture of her neck and shoulder, she squeezed him through his jeans and felt the response in his teeth momentarily tightening on her skin. She laughed and did it again, listening to the wet pop as his mouth released her skin and he groaned loudly.

"Rose!"

"Theta?" she teased him.

He didn't respond verbally, merely moved his mouth to the other side of her throat. Rose placed her hands at the hem of his shirt, slipping her fingers underneath and dragging her fingernails lightly across the sensitive bare skin of his stomach, enjoying the jerk of his hips at her touch. She thumbed the button of his jeans open and took her time sliding down the zip, thoroughly enjoying his long groan of frustration.

Rose dropped to her knees and slid his jeans down at the same time, listening to his whine of loss of access to her skin. He was hard already and she mouthed him through his pants, the taste of cotton oddly erotic. She took her time to kiss and lick him with the barrier of cloth, ignoring the needy noises he was making as long as she dared. At last she took pity on him, freeing him from the confines of his pants, grinning up at him as she did so. His eyes were dark and wanting as he stared down at her and she swelled with pride at the power she had over him.

Rose let her fingers dance along the length of him, focusing on the underside from base to tip. When she got to the tip she ran her fingernails over it softly, smirking when he swelled further under her ministrations. With her left hand she cupped his balls, rolling them together before transferring her hand to the base of his cock, stroking up and down, adding a twist every third or fourth stroke. Only when she could hear his moans did she lower her mouth over him.

She took him in as deep as she could, relaxing her throat and using her tongue to adjust the depth. She could hear his moans growing in volume as she continued to stroke him with her left hand. She caressed his balls with her right hand and used her teeth to lightly graze his shaft, soothing with her tongue, giving special attention to the tip. 

"Rose, please," he groaned, his hands scrabbling desperately for purchase.

Releasing his cock with a near obscene noise, she allowed him to pull her up to meet him. He kissed her desperately, his tongue diving into her mouth again as his hands grabbed almost frantically at her clothing. Stepping backwards out of his reach, Rose crossed her arms, pulling off her shirt in one fluid moment. He stepped forward to help, but she shook her head watching in satisfaction as he sank backwards. It had been awhile since they had played this game and it was always exhilarating. 

Placing her hands on her sides, she smoothed them down over her rib cage and stomach, before slipping her fingers into the waistband of her jeans. It was a little harder to toe off her shoes and kick her jeans off in a way that still seemed sexy, but his hungry eyes told her that he didn't mind at all. With one hand she reached up and flicked open the clasp of her bra, letting it dangle but leaving it in place as she slid one hand into her knickers and rubbed her clit with two fingers. She couldn't hold back the gasp at the sensation and the sudden eroticism of the whole moment. 

Rose watched his jaw drop open at her actions and it was enough to make her keep going. She slid the left strap of her bra down her shoulder, exposing her breast to the Theta's gaze and her own questing fingers. Rolling her nipple between her fingers, she continued to play with her clit, sliding her fingers back and forth until they were soaked in her wetness. She knew it wouldn't take too much to make herself come and as much as the thought of making Theta watch her get off without his help was intoxicating, she wasn't planning to torture him tonight - though maybe another time.

Removing her fingers from her center, Rose stepped towards Theta, gratified when he waited to see what she was going to do instead of moving. She presented her fingers to his lips and he instantly closed his mouth over them, licking and sucking every drop of moisture from them. Shrugging her shoulders so her bra slid the rest of the way down her arms, she pulled her fingers from his mouth, smiling when he tried to follow them, and let her bra fall to the ground, kicking her knickers off to join it.

Placing her hands on his shoulders she communicated her desire to him mentally and a moment later he lifted and spun her so that her back hit the side of the cabin and her thighs were around his waist. She rested her back on the wall and reached between them, spreading her center wide and gripping his shaft and he lifted her hips enough for her to slide down onto him. 

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck and braced her back against the wall. Her breasts were in his face and his arms were clutching her waist as he began to move his hips. It was awkward at first as they worked to figure out a way to move that didn't end with her smacking her head against the wall or him cracking his head against her jaw, but eventually they discovered a rhythm.

Her fingernails bit into his shoulders as he thrust up into her and she could feel her orgasm within reach. With one hand she reached between them and found her clit, twisting and rubbing in time with his movements. With the force of a storm, her climax hit her, tossing her to the highest peak before plummeting her down and down and down. 

When she could think clearly again Theta had slowed as if waiting for her instructions. Pressing against his shoulder, she guided him to the ground and with one fluid movement, Rose raised herself off of him and turned around, sinking back onto him with a groan from them both. He sat up, his lips pressed to the back of her neck and his hands coming around to caress her breasts. 

Rose began to move in gentle circles, gradually increasing the tempo as she found another wave growing within her. This time she was determined to take him with her and she moved more forcefully, deliberately twisting one way on the way up and the other on the way down. His groans grew louder as his fingers pinched and rolled her nipples almost painfully. Lifting herself almost off of him, Rose thrust back down, taking him all the way in before rising up and repeating the process. 

Just as the second wave of pleasure swept through her, she felt his body shudder, his cock shooting off time and again deep within her. She felt the world tip sideways, spinning, hurtling through space, safely on earth and yet suspended in time somewhere far above the stars. His love for her washed over her, soaking her in the warmth of a burning sun, and reassuring her that he was entirely, devotedly, completely hers.

When she recollected herself, Theta had shifted her so she was leaning against his chest, his fingers gently carding through her hair, and his lips pressing kisses to her brow.

"You did it, my precious girl," he murmured.

"Did what?" she asked, not at all sure what he meant. 

"Communicated what you wanted and needed without speaking," he told her.

Rose wrinkled her forehead as she thought back and realized he was right. She hadn't needed to use words to let him know what she wanted and she had known what he had needed without consciously asking.

"I'm really getting the hang of this telepathy thing!" she grinned at him and was rewarded with his bright return grin.

He chuckled. "Ready to take this inside? I have a stick under my bum."

Rose laughed out loud, but got to her feet, groaning as her body protested the movement. She gathered up her scattered garments and he unlocked the door of the cabin. It was far enough off the grid that it didn't have a power source so it took awhile to locate and light the candles and get a fire going. By the time they were both resting on the floor in front of the flames and munching on some bread and jerky it was well after midnight. 

Theta's back was against the edge of the bed and and Rose was resting in his arms, enjoying the warmth of the fire on her face and hands. She was wearing one of his shirts and it brushed against her thighs as she moved. 

"Long day," she yawned.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked, his voice oddly light.

She twisted to see his face. He didn't often check in with her like this and it worried her. "I'm okay," she confirmed.

He nodded, but didn't respond.

"Are you?"

"Yeah," he said. "But I'm not the one who said goodbye to my family today."

Rose started to respond flippantly that it wasn't like she was never going to see them again, but then she stopped and reconsidered what he was really saying. "Still don't regret us," she said after a moment and was relieved when she saw his shoulders sag.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she said decisively. "Never gonna regret this. I signed up, remember?"

"Sort of."

"No, I signed up. I got a bit more than I bargained for, sure, but I could just as easily have run off then. And I didn't. And I won't." She poked his chest with her finger. "You are stuck with me, Time Lord!"

His laugh filled the room and her heart and she couldn't resist kissing him for it. He deepened the kiss and she responded enthusiastically. It wasn't long before they were both stretched out full length along the floor, side-by-side. Theta kissed her leisurely, tasting every inch of her mouth and she reciprocated fully. His hand rested on her hip, fingers caressing her skin as his lips moved against hers. 

Gradually his fingers worked their way around until they reached her center. He lightly pressed the pad of his thumb against her clit while sliding two fingers between her folds. His thumb moved in a slow circular motion while his fingers squeezed and danced up and down. Rose felt a wave of pleasure growing and she couldn't hold back the moans of need escaping as he increased the pressure, the tips of his fingers dipping into her with each slide. Her thighs squeezed against his wrist and his chuckle vibrated through them both.

Keeping his fingers slightly bent, Theta slid them inside of her a little further with each movement of his wrist. Slowly he penetrated deeper and deeper, sliding his fingers in and out in a sweeping motion and using the base of his hand to grind against her clit until she was a writhing, moaning mess.

 _"Come for me love,"_ his voice echoed through her mind and she lost her grip, her voice echoing off the walls.

When Rose opened her eyes, she rolled over on her back, bringing him with her so he was braced above her. She didn't always allow him to take her this way, but she knew he needed the sign of trust she had in him and his ability not to hurt her. His eyes were wide and soft and she smiled up at him as she reached between them to position him at her entrance, the love she felt for him nearly overwhelming.

Theta set a slow pace, moving almost completely out of her before sliding all the way in. It was torture, but of the most exquisite type and she moaned with desire. He was clearly determined to take his time and no matter how much she bucked her hips he maintained his tempo, refusing to be hurried. 

She was near to tears from desire, begging for release when he finally leaned backwards, his cock entering her at an angle and hitting her sweet spot every time. Finally he began to move more quickly, pounding in and out of her and his own groans joined hers, hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down until the echo sounded like a crowd of people. His fingers found her clit once more, rubbing it in time to his movement and she exploded, her walls squeezing him and bringing him over the edge with her. 

They lay together, boneless and satiated for awhile before cleaning themselves up with a cloth and finally finding the bed. 

"Why do we never find this earlier?" Rose murmured sleepily against Theta's chest.

He laughed. "Remember that two years is pretty typical for post-bonding fun. We've barely been six weeks. It's hard to wait."

"You can say that again," she agreed, pressing a kiss to his sternum. "Mmm, love you."

"Love you too, precious girl," he whispered, his breath tickling her hair. "Sleep well."


	7. Chapter 7

Rose woke up slowly the next morning. Her body ached as she stretched, but it was the good kind of ache that put a smile on her face. She pushed herself up in the bed and turned her head to look at Theta. He was seated at the flimsy table, soldering wires with his sonic and muttering when he accidentally burnt his finger instead. 

Her heart filled with love as she watched him. He hadn't put on his leather jacket yet and though he wore a navy jumper, the way it stretched across her shoulders sent a lick of fire through her belly. She was certain she would never tire of this view and she was excited to spend hundreds of years waking up exactly like this.

Pushing the covers back, she padded across the floor and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning around to kiss his cheek.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully.

"We may have a problem," he grunted.

Rose tilted her head to one side. "What sort of problem?"

"A problem with the Renegades."

She moved around him and settled herself sideways in his lap until she could see his face clearly. "What sort of problem?"

He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers. When they broke apart, he smiled at her. "Good morning, love."

"Morning," she chuckled. "Tell me about this problem."

Reaching around her he picked up a chunk of metal from the table. She recognized it as the transmitter Adam had given them. In his other hand he held a pair of tweezers that held a slim bit of plastic firmly in its grasp. 

"They put a microchip in the transmitter and the sonic is telling me it's a tracking device."

"Well that's to be expected, isn't it?" she asked. "Suki isn't exactly the trusting sort."

He laughed. "No, she's not. But this is a two-way tracking device. I don't think it's solely answering to Suki's location."

"I don't understand."

"See this lever here?" He indicated part of the chip. "Look at this."

She shifted to one knee so he could access the table. Using a thin metal wire, Theta pressed the point to the lever and the chip suddenly spit out a smaller plastic chip.

"Second microchip handily hidden inside the first," he explained. 

"So where do you think this one is transmitting?"

Theta gazed at it with narrowed eyes for a long moment and then shrugged, expression clearing. "Who knows! It's probably nothing!"

Rose looked at him in shock and then laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, Time Lord."

He laughed too, encouraging her to shift around till she was straddling his lap. 

"I don't think we've said a proper good morning," he murmured, pressing kisses down the side of her face.

"Seems not," she managed to say before he found her lips.

The kiss started gentle until it wasn't. Rose could feel him hardening between her and she couldn't resist twisting her hips against him. His growl rumbled through her and she smiled. 

"It might be awhile till we get to do this again," she suggested, circling her hips again.

"Mmmm," he groaned. "Probably."

His hands found her nipples through the thin fabric of his shirt she was still wearing, rolling them between his fingers. The pressure wasn't nearly enough for what she needed and she arched forwards into his touch. He smirked, bending forward and closing his mouth over her right breast, his right hand continuing to finger her other nipple. 

He was clearly in no hurry, taking his time to suck and nibble her through her shirt before transferring his attention to the other breast. Eventually Rose managed to convince him it was worth taking the shirt off and he obligingly removed his mouth from her, but hastily reapplied himself to his task once she was naked.

"Theta," she moaned. "Please."

He chuckled and his left hand began a meandering journey down her side to her center, his fingers sliding easily between her wet folds. She was feeling impatient and needed him inside of her at once. She could feel him hard between them and she pulled backwards, ignoring his whine of disappointment at being forced to let go of her breasts. 

It was the work of a few seconds to release him from the confines of his jeans and she wasted no time in sinking down on him, groaning as he slid home. She began to move immediately, not needing to wait to adjust and knowing he did not either. His hands were wrapped around her hips as she used his shoulders for leverage.

Rose let her head fall backwards, her hair swinging free, and using his body to gain the most pleasure. She knew that hard and fast was what they both needed and wanted and she took full advantage of that, riding him with abandon. It wasn't long before she felt her orgasm building and she dug her nails into his shoulders to help warn him. She felt one hand leave her waist and move to his balls, squeezing and fondling them in time with her movements. A moment later she hit the peak and her mouth opened with joy; she heard his shout of triumph as he climaxed with her. 

She didn't move off of him, just leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder, panting slightly. She could hear his voice in her ear, whispering sweet words of love and she basked in the moment.

The vibrating of the ATMOS on the table forced them apart and Rose lifted herself off of him gingerly. She moved to other side of the cabin to locate her clothing while Theta answered the call. It was Adam and he was clearly grumpy at having to be Suki's secretary. Theta informed him that they would be there in the next ten minutes and promptly hung up.

Rose rolled her eyes as she fastened the button on her jeans. She had a feeling that they would be longer than ten minutes considering that Theta had immediately turned his attention back to the transmitter and his expression said he wasn't in a hurry. She took the time to transfer the contents of her pack to the trans-dimensional bag, enjoying the way she could arrange her clothes and other necessities in neat stacks in what was essentially a tiny square bag.

When she was finished she roused her Time Lord from his work and convinced him they really did need to get going. It took him a bit longer to pack up all of his bits of wires and other mechanical items, but at last they stood hand-in-hand ready to go. Rose smiled as she glanced around the cabin. This time she was sure they'd be back eventually.

The next moment they were standing on the outskirts of Berkshyre, directly behind Suki's command post. Rose groaned as her stomach settled. 

"I don't know if I want a vortex manipulator," she complained. "There has to be a better way to get places."

"Just be glad it's not powerful enough to take us between planets. Then you'd really be in trouble," Theta laughed, as together they made their way around the building.

Jake was just outside and so, to Rose's shock, was Mickey. Mickey looked surprised and a little embarrassed to see them, but they didn't have time to exchange more than simple pleasantries before Adam appeared in the doorway and promptly summoned them inside. Suki was a great deal less concerned about their late appearance than Adam and waved a hand in lazy greeting.

"Be with you in a moment," she said from where she was consulting a large map with a tight clump of other humans and aliens.

Theta rolled his eyes as the two of them dropped in chairs. Rose had to suppress a snort at the mental image he sent her of the ways they could have better used the time. Thankfully Suki joined them before Theta could get too far in his ideas.

"You two are every bit as reliable and competent as I was led to believe," she said, seating herself. "Congratulations on swiftly dispatching the Nestene Consciousness."

"Wasn't my intention," Theta began, but Rose interrupted at once.

"Glad we could be of help."

"And you have been. So much so that I can trust you with a more dangerous mission." She summoned someone from the crowd with a wave of one hand. 

A young woman came forward with the map and spread it on the table. 

"Stay, Martha," Suki said when the woman would have retreated. "Your input is valuable."

Martha looked like she didn't agree with that assessment or perhaps that she had smelled a particularly unpleasant smell, but she seated herself in an empty chair without comment.

"Our outpost in Blaidd Drwg has unfortunately been under siege for the past month," Suki began, indicating the area on the map. "The conditions there are growing desperate with supplies running short."

"I still don't believe in guns," Theta put in.

"And I don't need you to," Suki said smoothly. "I've got a team heading in to help with that regard, but what I need is a supply run. Particularly a flu antidote."

She waved her hand and another woman hurried over with a vial that looked oddly like the anti-plastic. 

"This is NH2," she explained and Theta reached out his hand immediately.

She passed it over and stayed silent as he ran the sonic over the vial. 

"A bit diluted," was his verdict. "Best you can get in these times?"

She nodded, looking impressed. Rose, who could see Adam over her shoulder, noted that both of them looked a bit greedy at the sight of the sonic. 

"Torchwood is keeping a close eye on all antibiotics - hoping to keep the population in line by restricting healthcare."

"Not a bad plan, that," Theta said, pocketing the sonic. "I assume there was more to your story."

"There is," she nodded. "The tunnel system connects to Blaidd Drwg."

"Why not just evacuate the town?" Rose asked.

"That's not the point," Suki said, looking startled. "We need to make a stand."

"Are there children there? And the elderly? Clearly there are sick people." Rose shook her head. "And you're what, just gonna leave them to die because of your cause?"

"Your cause too, remember," Adam interjected nastily.

"My cause does not include sacrificing the elderly and children," Rose protested. "That's Torchwood's way."

"You may be right," Suki conceded. "But you don't need to bother with that - the council is advising me on making the best choices. You forget what happens here will affect other planets' decisions; we don't have the luxury of showing mercy. In the meantime you need to get this medicine to the sentry in the tunnels. It's a bit of a maze down there, so you won't be able to travel directly. Instead you'll meet an escort at the central tunnels - directly below Cardyff."

"Cardyff?" Theta questioned. "There's a rift there."

"There is!" Suki exclaimed. "Wonders never cease with your knowledge. We use the rift to cover the amount of foot traffic in and out of that area. It's also how we get supplies from other planets."

Martha snorted and Rose jumped. She'd nearly forgotten the other woman was there. Everyone looked at Martha and she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.

"We get supplies," she said. "There are hundreds of other things we could be using that rift for and we're using it to get supplies."

"That's all we have the research to support," Suki explained, as if she'd had this conversation before.

"Don't agree with her methods?" Theta asked.

"I just think she's thinking too small. There are other questions we could be asking, theories we could be testing," Martha said.

"And, like I've said," Suki said, "we'll answer those questions and get to those theories eventually, but needs must and all that."

Neither Martha nor Theta looked convinced by this, but they subsided.

"Who's meeting us?" Rose asked when it became apparent that no one else was going to say anything.

"Zach is arranging that," Suki told her. "Any other questions?"

Theta and Rose glanced at one another and shook their heads. 

"Excellent," Suki clapped her hands together. "Adam will provide you coordinates."

"Wait," Theta said, starting to stand and then sitting back down. "You promised us a vortex manipulator when we defeated the Nestene Consciousness."

"Unfortunately my supplier hasn't come through," Suki shrugged. "War on and all. You understand. My guess is I'll hear from him in the next day or two."

Rose did not understand and it was evident that Theta did not either, but Adam was plucking insistently at their elbows and they had no choice but to stand and go with him. 

"Oh!" Suki called after them. "Adam, make sure they get the coins and an explanation."

Adam led them over to a corner of the room where a small machine stood and retrieved two gold coins from a basket of them.

"Need a blood sample from each of you first," he said, indicating the machine.

"What for?" Rose demanded.

"My guess - bio-metric reading system. They'll input the blood and then program the coins to react to it," Theta explained, plucking one of the coins from Adam and scanning it.

This time there was no mistaking the greedy expression on Adam's face and Rose resolved to keep a close eye on him. 

"That about it?" Theta asked, tossing the coin back. 

Adam nodded stiffly and indicated where they were meant to put their fingers for the sample. The needle was sharp and the process was less painful than Rose had anticipated. It took Adam a few moments to program the coins and she suspected it was because Theta was all but breathing down his neck while he worked.

At last Adam stepped back and handed each of them a coin. The moment the metal touched her fingers, the symbol of the Renegades - a raven with wings outstretched holding a snake in its talons with the words _luctor et emergo_ etched beneath - appeared on the surface. On the flipside was the flag of the Andromeda Galaxy: four diagonal stripes with twelve stars spaced between them. 

"Official coins of the Renegades," Adam explained, rather unnecessarily.

Adam wasted only a few more words giving them the coordinates and Rose realized she disliked him more and more with each interaction. Theta was antsy and irritable and she was very relieved when they were finally ready to go. Out of the corner of her eye Rose saw Mickey still standing and talking to Jake and she narrowed her eyes at the scene just as Theta hit the buttons to send them on their way.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they travel across the country

By the time they landed, Rose was completely out of breath and more than a little bit nauseous. As soon as the world stopped moving, she lost her balance and fell forward to her knees, gagging a bit. 

"New way to travel," she panted. "Put that on the list."

Theta chuckled and helped her to her feet. "Right at the top. Or at least right under getting these antibiotics where they are meant to be."

Rose groaned. "Right. Priorities. Still, next time we travel clear across the country we do it in shifts."

She blinked about her, taking in the sloping metal walls and damp floor. Small lights were spaced fairly far apart and the smell of earth and iron filled her nostrils. 

Before they could say anything else, a woman stepped out of the shadows and strode forward, hand outstretched. 

"I'm Gwen Cooper," she said in a strong, clear voice. "Who are you?"

"Theta," he introduced himself, shaking her hand. "And this is Rose Tyler."

"It's good to meet you! Mr. Jefferson gave me the head's up that you were coming to get supplies up to Blaidd Drwg. I happened to be in the area and said I'd be happy to accompany you."

"What do you do with the Renegades?" Theta asked.

"This and that," Gwen said dismissively. "Should we get going?"

"Hold on," Rose said. "Have you got one of those coins?"

Gwen laughed and produced a coin from her pocket. "Good job passing the test!"

Theta took the coin from her and examined it with the sonic. Rose watched Gwen and was relieved when she looked merely curious at the sight; she had a good feeling about Gwen.

"Ready to go now?" Gwen asked, catching the coin when Theta tossed it back.

They nodded and the trio made their way down the tunnel together.

"So," Gwen said, "Tell me a little about yourselves. We've got a bit of a walk in front of us."

"We're travelers," Theta said. "Helping out a cause."

"Travelers from where?"

"Who says you have to be travelers from somewhere?" Theta asked. "Can't you just be travelers going someplace?"

"You can, but you sound like you're from the north."

"Lots of places have a north," Theta sniffed and Rose decided it was time to take over the conversation.

"So what exactly do you do?" she wanted to know.

"I'm a journalist," Gwen told her. "Not officially anymore, but I do some freelance work."

"Like going to colonies and getting the full story?" Rose wondered, beginning to get an idea.

She hadn't dropped her objections about evacuating the Blaidd Drwg outpost, at the very least the children, the elderly, and the sick. She understood that Suki's goals were broader than her own, but the very idea of leaving all of those people virtually defenseless turned her stomach. There was something about Gwen that made her think that she wouldn't be opposed to the plan. 

"Yeah," Gwen nodded. "Even in the face of disaster, people deserve to know the truth."

Rose nodded meditatively. She had the start of her plan and she needed Gwen on her side for it to work. She concentrated for a moment on passing the idea to Theta and then fell into step next to Gwen, asking her about her family and her interests. Gwen answered all of her questions and asked a few of her one which Rose answered as honestly as she could. 

The path they traveled twisted as frequently as their conversation and Rose found herself enjoying Gwen's company and their conversation became less stilted and more friendly. Theta followed behind them, occasionally adding a word here or there, but Rose knew his brain was focusing on the plan. She wanted to help him figure out logistics, but knew it was more important for her to focus on getting Gwen to trust them.

"I can see why we couldn't arrive straight there," Rose remarked when they had been walking for about fifteen minutes. 

"Yeah, the tunnels are a maze down here," Gwen agreed. "I grew up visiting Cardyff every summer and a friend of mine used to bring me down to explore. It's why the Renegades use me for these missions so often."

"Your friend being Suki?" Rose asked.

"No, a different friend. He's pretty far away from here," Gwen said cryptically. "We're almost to Blaidd Drwg now; watch your step up ahead."

They turned a corner and suddenly they were standing on a platform overlooking a maze of tracks. Rose stepped up to the guardrail and tried to process everything she was seeing. It appeared to be a major cross-section of train tracks and large silver trains were zooming through at regular intervals. The noise, which had been growing for the last few minutes was intense now that they were out in the open. She could feel Theta and Gwen standing on either side of her and she shook her head in wonder.

"There's nothing like this," Gwen said loudly enough to be heard. "Very few people ever get to see it from this angle."

"What is it?" Rose asked. "I mean, I see that it's trains and all but where are they going?"

"The trains connect Londyn to Cardyff with stops in most of the local colonies along the way," Theta explained. 

"I've never heard of it!" Rose exclaimed. 

She had known that Powell's aversion to technology had meant her knowledge of the outside world was somewhat lacking, but each time she made a new discovery it was harder to understand why they had done it like that. She bit her lip against the frustration she could feel building and when Gwen bumped her shoulder to indicate they were leaving she was happy to follow.

They turned another corner and the noise dimmed almost at once. Rose felt Theta's reassuring mental touch and she gave him a grateful smile.

"Yours wasn't the only village who chose to build their life outside of technology," he said gently. 

"Oh, what region did you come from?" Gwen asked, looking over at her curiously.

"South," Rose said quietly.

Gwen hummed in agreement. "The original colonies were mostly in the South and North regions, you know, so those regions tend to cling the tightest to the old ways."

Rose nodded; she did know this, but it didn't make her feel any better. She didn't have time to worry about it at the moment though, not when there were more pressing concerns.

"Gwen," Rose started, "I have an idea."

"Okay?"

"I'd like to evacuate the children, the elderly, and the sick. Instead of just delivering this vial and saying good luck." Rose held her breath.

Gwen was silent for several strides. "That isn't the mission."

"It's not," Rose admitted, "But it's the right thing to do. I got into this to help people and it sounds like you did too."

"Do the community leaders know we're coming?" Theta interjected.

"No, probably not," Gwen said slowly. "Communication up here is spotty what with the rift causing signal interference and all the metal."

"So it would be easy to just say we're here to get out a first wave, yeah?" Rose asked. 

"How do you decide who stays and who goes?" Gwen wanted to know. Her words were defensive, but her tone suggested she wasn't entirely opposed.

"We take everyone who wants to go," Theta answered. "It's a free ride!"

"And how do we get them out?"

"The trains!" Rose exclaimed. "Put them on the train, destination, uh, destination..."

"There's a Renegade outpost up here," Theta finished. "I know there has to be. And more importantly, you know where it is."

Gwen pursed her lips. "Suki won't like it."

"If it saves lives, who cares what Suki likes?" Rose demanded. 

"Come on Gwen," Theta exclaimed. "Live a little! You're a journalist, just this once don't just report the news; be the news!"

"You two are daft, you know that?" she said, glancing around her. "I mean, I suppose that it does make sense. And as long as some people stay behind, Suki's plan won't be a waste. And people will be heartened to hear a good story for once."

"That's the spirit!" Theta declared. "Now you're thinking!"

She still looked wary, but they had turned one more corner and at the far end Rose could see a man obviously standing guard.

"Blaidd Drwg?" she asked, indicating the man.

"You can see that?" Gwen asked in astonishment. "Gift of sight is rare! But yeah, that is Danny and the passageway to Blaidd Drwg. How are you going to tell him your plan?"

"Oh, you'll see!" Theta said airily which Rose took to mean that he had no clue.

She rolled her eyes, but chose not to comment out loud. They walked the rest of the way in silence and Rose could practically feel the waves of thought coming off of Gwen.

Danny was friendly enough, especially when he saw Gwen and the two exchanged pleasantries. After he examined their coins, he opened a door in the wall and motioned them through.

The door led to another passage that gradually sloped upwards until they emerged into bright daylight where they stood blinking for a few moments. They were standing on the edge of a wood and directly before them, down a small hill, lay a tiny community. A group of people were approaching them led by a woman who walked with a purposeful step.

"It's even smaller than Powell," Rose gasped.

"Smallest on New Earth. Population 85, well, 80," Danny's voice trailed off as he stared down at the collection of cabins.

"Flu spreading quickly?" Theta asked.

"Too quickly. Another infant died last night. At this rate we'll lose all of them by the time the siege lets up," the woman answered. "Ida Scott, by the way."

"I'm Rose," Rose said. "And that's Theta and Gwen."

"What it is that Torchwood wants?" Theta asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"We're the northern tip of the country," Ida answered. "Prime shipping area."

"Mmm, got to be more than that. Torchwood isn't shipping anything; their technology is much too advanced for that!" Theta shook his head. "Any rare minerals in the area? Scarce animals or plants? Gems?"

"No, we're just a small colony. One of the first," she added as an afterthought.

"The first?" Theta narrowed his eyes. "The ships landed here because of a refueling emergency, right? They must have sensed fuel in this area. Is this just about fuel rights?"

Ida shrugged. "We do still find fountains of oil here and there."

"Oil!" Theta shouted, startling everyone. "Of course! It is fuel rights! Ha! The human race is all the same! Can't just live peacefully and negotiate. No, always fighting and taking the hardest road."

Rose smiled at the group. "When he's stressed he likes to insult humans. Nicked himself the other day and did half an hour on life forms he's cleverer than."

"Not human then?" Ida looked at him and the rest of the group did as well.

"Not even a little bit," Theta said proudly. "Now then Ida Scott, what do you say about getting out of here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Evacuating your children and sick and elderly," Rose explained. "Letting anyone who is strong enough to stay behind to defend their lands do so if they want, but getting everyone else to safety."

"We have orders to stay here," Ida protested and beside her Gwen made a sound of agreement.

"Orders can be changed. And should, especially in this case!" Theta declared. "You're a leader of the people, Ida; let your people go!"

"He's right," the man behind Ida said.

"People need the option!"

"Molly's baby's real sick, bet she'd take the chance." 

"Most of them are ready to go anyway."

"Alright!" Ida put up her hands. "Where would they go?"

Theta looked at Gwen, whose eyes widened in surprise, but then nodded once or twice. "There is an outpost not far along the coast; we'd need to take the train, but that wouldn't be unusual."

"How long do you need?" Rose asked.

"A couple of hours," Ida answered. 

"You have one," Theta said. "We need to get moving. Suki seemed to suggest her plan could receive an upgrade and I'm not interested in being here then. Gather your people and get them here in an hour."

Ida looked unsure and it took a few more minutes of hard talking to convince her this was indeed the right thing to do. Rose stood back and let Theta do most of the talking. It helped their cause that Danny and most of the people who had come with Ida were definitely all for the plan; most of them had relatives who were susceptible to the virus. At last Ida agreed and the party disappeared down the hill to gather the villagers, half of the vial of medicine in hand for those would stay behind.

It was an hour before the first of the townspeople arrived, but it was quite a bit more than an hour before Ida reappeared to let them know the last of them were there. All in all there were thirty-five people on the hilltop ranging in age from a wizened grandma to an infant boy. They were loaded down with packages and boxes of various sizes and Rose's heart squeezed as she moved among them, talking to them.

Most were children or young teens and they all had clearly seen more of the world's atrocities than they were meant to; their eyes were wide, but dry and though a few clung to her hand or shirt, no one was crying or whining about what was going on. All of them had arrived by themselves or with cousins or siblings; none of their respective adults crested the hill and Rose couldn't help admiring the strength of these folks.

After reassuring Ida that they would get everyone to safety, Theta clapped his hands for silence and then looked at Rose. She smiled and addressed the crowd, explaining the plan to get them all safely to their destination. There were a few questions, but most just nodded stiffly. 

Their progress through the tunnels was slow at best. Theta handled this better than Rose thought he would and even carried some of the smaller ones when they needed it. Her heart swelled as she watched him carrying a toddler boy on his shoulders and engaging in conversation with a group of young teenagers. They were all clearly enjoying the attention and she heard them laugh as she passed by. She kept herself moving up and down the length of the line, offering encouragement and reassurances when it was needed and sometimes just a friendly smile or a hand to hold. 

It took them over an hour to reach the floor of the hub and when they stepped through the last doorway onto the train's platform, Rose saw the shock and awe she had experienced reflected on every face. Gwen and Danny, who had decided to come with them to help out, took over herding them to the track that would bring them a train heading in the right direction.

"Some of them are run by members of the Renegades," Gwen explained as she helped her settle everyone on the ground to wait. "They'll stop when they see us."

The wait seemed interminable, especially since every time a train came by on the right track most of them jumped up to see if it was going to stop. The constant adrenaline shocks were tiring and Rose eventually gathered everyone in a circle. She encouraged the older folks to tell stories and then led them in a few songs. Some of the teenagers joined in to tell a few jokes and one boy turned out to be proficient at magic tricks and another could do handsprings. The impromptu show was a hit and everyone was much more relaxed and enthralled when at last the squealing of brakes told them a train was stopping.

It was chaotic getting everyone on board, especially with the conductors shouting at them to hurry. Danny's despairing cry when a wheelchair got stuck was enough to push Rose over the edge.

"Enough!" she shouted.

"Another train is coming!" Danny shouted back. "These trains are paced out pretty evenly."

"Not helpful!" Rose glared at him and lifted a young boy bodily into the train.

At long last everyone was safely inside, the doors were closed, and the train was once more speeding along the tracks. The car they entered was deserted and they were able to spread out.

"I'm heading to the front," Theta said, appearing at Rose's side. "Want to come along?"

Rose nodded desperately and the two of them picked their way through the train. It was a trifle more run-down than she was expecting with only a few harried looking passengers here and there, but she didn't bother to comment. She was quickly realizing that things on New Earth were either very rich or very poor and sometimes the things that looked very rich turned out to be the exact opposite.

When they arrived at the engine car they were shocked to find it in complete pandemonium. There were a man and a woman scrabbling for levers and shouting at one another.

"Hey!" Theta yelled above the noise. "What's going on here?"

The woman holding the controls looked around with wild eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Theta and this is Rose," Theta said. "What's the problem?"

"I've lost control!" she cried. "The train is speeding on its own."

"I thought it was all run from the main hub?" Theta questioned.

"Not anymore," she explained. "They diverted power about six months ago and since then the majority of the control is from each engineer."

"We've got 42 minutes until we crash!" the man yelled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they race against time

Theta wasted no time in whipping out the sonic and scanning the computer interface. 

"There's a backup computer - where is it?" he demanded.

"Back of the train, but..." the woman cut off as a series of loud bangs sounded. "But emergency protocol has kicked in and all the doors are locked. At fifteen minutes, the cars will disengage and the braking system will try to keep each car from crashing into each other," she finished rather helplessly.

"There's an override system though, yeah?" Theta asked urgently.

"Yeah, each door is fitted with a keypad and requires a code," she answered. "But it's a long shot."

"Who knows the door passwords?" Theta asked.

"They're randomly generated," the man said. "If you attach the USB and let it run, it'll take five minutes per door; we don't have that long. It's no use."

"Oi!" Theta exclaimed, "Look at you, defeated before you've even started! Where's your fighting spirit? I've got a sonic!"

"It'll take two people though," the man admitted. "One to use the keypad, the other to carry the security system to reboot on the fa end. I'm Riley Vashtee, by the way."

"Well Riley Vashtee, better get going then!" Theta cried and then paused, looking at Rose.

"It's okay," she said, stepping towards him. "I'll go with him - you stay here and try to stop it from this end. I'd be useless in here and someone's got to stay. Show me what setting, yeah?"

"Rose," Theta started, but she shook her head. "Setting 912 should do it," he said tightly.

"I'll see you again," she told him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips to his.

A moment later she wrenched backwards, turned her back deliberately, and faced Riley. "Let's go then!"

He pressed his hand to the first door and it opened under his hand.

"Bio-metric security," he explained. "Only one programmed like this."

And then they stepped through and the door slammed shut behind them. Rose and Riley stared at each other for a moment and then ran to the other end of the compartment.

"Setting 912," Rose muttered, fiddling with the sonic. "Ah, there we go."

She pressed the end of the sonic to the keypad and nothing happened.

"Hurry up!" Riley cried. "What's it doing?"

"Obviously not much," Rose said. "Is there an intercom system - don't think it's 912."

"Here!" Riley pressed a button. "Kath?"

"Riley?" the woman's voice sounded tiny and metallic. "What's wrong?"

"Theta?" Rose called. "912's not working. What else?"

"Try 914," Theta's voice echoed. "Or wait, maybe 615."

"Theta!"

"What kind of system is this?" Theta demanded. "Before the start of the 4th Century?"

"Yes," Kath's voice sounded panicked. "Installed right at the end of the 3rd."

"Pre-Gallorian, then. With just a hint of - ouch - Kyran technology. Setting 1200!" Theta finished with a shout.

"1200," Rose mumbled. "There we go - ahh!"

The sonic flashed blue and the door unlocked. 

"Got it! Be safe!" she yelled.

"You too!"

And then they were racing through the door and to the next. They were through five more doors when the train lurched to the left and they were thrown against the wall.

"What was that?" Rose cried.

"I don't know! There's a bunch of hairpin turns this track, maybe the system isn't prepared for them!"

Rose groaned, but struggled to her feet and pointed the sonic at the keypad. The door unlocked and they shoved it open only to find the whole party from Blaidd Drwg staring back at them.

"Hi!" Rose said cheerfully. "Everything's fine! Just enjoying a jaunt through the train!"

"Rose!" Danny exclaimed. "Your face is bleeding!"

Rose lifted a hand to her face and it came away bloody. "Must have been in the fall," she said. "It's no big deal!"

"There's a lot of blood," Gwen said, suddenly appearing with a towel. 

"Thanks." Rose accepted the towel and pressed it to her cheek, marveling that she couldn't feel any pain and knowing it had to do with the amount of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked in a lower voice. "We're going faster than normal."

"Are we?" Rose asked, her voice sounding strained to her own ears. "Seems pretty normal to me."

"You've never been on a train!"

"No, but everything's fine, right Riley?" Rose reached behind her and grabbed Riley's sleeve, jerking him forward. "He's a mechanical engineer for this train and he agrees that everything is fine."

"Yep, fine, just fine!" Riley said brightly. "Rose, we need to go...do that thing."

"Yes!" Rose cried. "That thing! Must go! We'll be back! You guys rest now - we'll be to our final destination soon."

And then she was aiming the sonic at the door and they were through and slamming it behind them.

"That went well," Riley said sarcastically.

Rose rolled her eyes and pointed the sonic at the next keypad and nothing happened. "What the..."

"This part of the train is an older model," Riley cried. "Built mid-3rd Century and added on to. Must be a different setting for your sonic thing."

"How much time do we have?" Rose asked, flicking desperately through the settings back to 912.

"Um?" Riley glanced at his watch. "Twenty-eight minutes."

Rose groaned and tried the sonic again. Still nothing happened.

"Intercom," she said desperately.

Riley mashed the button and bawled into the speaker.

"Rose? How far are you?" Theta sounded out of breath.

"Um..." she looked at Riley.

"Halfway!"

"You have to hurry!" Kath yelled. "You don't have time!"

"Trying to!" Rose yelled back. "1200 doesn't work anymore, older section of the train. And neither does 912."

"Older by how much?"

"At least fifty years," Kath answered.

"Then it'll be in the 500's - try 512."

Rose grumbled to herself as she rotated settings. A flash of blue light made her jump in surprise.

"Got it!" she yelled as she and Riley ran through the door.

The next series of doors was a rapid blur of seats and doors and flashes of blue light. They came across a few other passengers who stared at them in surprise, but Rose and Riley wasted no breath as they sprinted through. In her mind Rose could hear the ticking of the clock and, if she concentrated, she could sense Theta's desperation on his end. She knew he was hitting dead ends and it put an extra fire in her movements.

At last they stumbled through a door and the compartment was full of electrical equipment. Riley gave a cry of delight and dove towards it. 

"Here!" he called, holding out the case he was carrying. "Boot up the computer and then attach this wire when it's on. It should shock the system and give us access for a manual override."

Rose dropped to the ground and pulled out the machine, flipping it around to locate the power button. She realized her hands were shaking as she waited for the thing to load. Riley was hastily typing commands into an ancient looking device and cursing loudly. 

"Rose?" Theta's voice sounded over the intercom and she jumped.

"Theta?" she called. "What's wrong?"

"I can see you're online; what's going on?" 

Riley jumped in and started spitting out words that meant nothing to Rose and she let him talk uninterrupted. At last the screen she was staring at flashed on and she grabbed the wire Riley had indicated and searched for a place to insert it. 

"Wait!" Riley yelled just as she pressed the wire into place.

"What?" she demanded, but there was a horrible grinding sound and then a loud squealing and Theta's voice on the loudspeaker cut off.

"What happened?!" she yelled, jumping up and running towards the door, dread filling her thoughts.

She pressed her face to the door and her heart dropped as she saw the end of the train disappearing around a bend ahead.

"Riley!" She spun around and stared at him.

Riley had frozen in place, staring at the door. 

"Riley!" she yelled, running back to him and shaking him. "Not now. What's going on? And how do we stop it?"

"We can't," he said weakly. "We're gonna die."

"Nope. We are not going to die and you stop that talk right now." 

Riley shook his head, but didn't protest. She could tell he was going into shock and she made a split-second decision. Lifting her hand she smacked him across the face and watched as his eyes opened wide.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked, staring up at her.

"Because we are not gong to die. Now turn around and get working. I'm going to ask Theta."

"You can't, he's not here - the intercom doesn't work!"

"Hush, I'm concentrating," Rose said. "And I suggest you do the same."

She waited until Riley turned back to the computer before closing her eyes and finding Theta in her mind. It was easier than she had anticipated and she smiled when she felt him almost at once. He was afraid, she could tell, and on the verge of losing control. She focused on reassuring him that she was okay and that she would see him again and felt him relax a bit. 

_"I'm going to get you, Rose!"_

_"I know, Theta, I know. I'm okay. Riley's working on it too. Between the two of you, something will work out."_

_"I won't lose you!"_

_"And you won't. Now what can I do?"_

_"Setting 749 - use it on the computer you took down there, focus on the hard drive."_

Rose opened her eyes and quickly flipped through the sonic's settings before focusing it at the computer and then pausing.

"Riley? Where's the hard drive?"

"Huh? Oh, the underside."

Rose nodded and picked up the computer, focusing the sonic on the under panel. "Where exactly though? I don't want to end up frying this thing."

Riley turned around and pointed to an exact spot and Rose focused the sonic's power there. The blue flight flashed and there was a stuttering sound from the computer Riley was at.

_"Do it again!_

Rose refocused the sonic and zapped the computer again in response to Theta's demand and the stuttering relaxed into a hum as the train car started to move.

"You did it!" Riley exclaimed. "You got us moving."

"Well, Theta did," Rose said. "But I think that's starting to become the same thing. Now! Focus on stopping the train. We have eight minutes!"

Riley spun back towards the monitor. "Theta had a suggestion right before he cut off. If I type in the override command for the whole system instead of just this car; it should trigger a chain reaction. But he said to do it backwards, something about..."

"Do it!" Rose interrupted. "Stop talking and do it!"

Riley let out another curse, but his fingers began flying over the keyboard.

"Well?" she demanded. "Is it working?"

"I don't know, do I?" he yelled.

"We're picking up speed!" 

Rose dashed back to the door and watched as the tunnel hurtled past the window. 

"Riley! I see the rest of the train!" she exclaimed. "Up there in the distance! It's getting closer...we're going to crash!"

"I can see that!"

"Rose! Riley!" Theta's voice suddenly sounded over the intercom and they both jumped.

"Theta!" Rose cried.

"I've got it; I've got control of the train!"

"We're gonna crash into you!" Riley shouted. "I can't stop it!"

"Rose! Setting 1503! Keypad at the door. Now!"

Rose spun through the settings rapidly, keeping an eye on the fast approaching bulk of the train. 

"Got it!" 

She pointed the sonic at the keypad and there was a flash of blue light and then the blessed noise of squealing brakes. 

"Riley!" Theta's voice sounded again. "Type in B squared, seven four dash diamond."

"What?"

"Just do it!" Rose screamed.

The train loomed in front of them as Riley complied and she saw the locking mechanism open at the last possible second. The impact was forceful enough to knock them backwards, but the mechanism held and Rose started half-crying, half-laughing as she felt the train start to pull them.

"You did it!" she yelled.

"We did it!" Riley joined in her celebration.

"Rose!" Theta called.

"Yes?"

"I'm coming to get you!"

"Yes!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they breathe a sigh of relief

When Rose had gotten her breath back she tried the door and was relieved to find that it opened easily. 

"You coming?" She looked back at Riley to ask.

He nodded without speaking and the two of them picked their way back up the train moving considerably slower than they had coming the other direction. Rose smiled at him as they walked. He wouldn't have been her first choice on a companion to get stranded with, but all in all he hadn't been bad.

She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Fun not dying with you," she teased.

He smiled, the edges of mouth still tight. "You too. You're good under pressure. Better than me."

"Nah," she shrugged. "Kinda getting used to it, is all."

She stayed quiet after that, realizing that it was true. She was getting used to adrenaline-laced situations that held a very real potential of not making it out the other side alive. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but before she had a chance to really think about it they were back in the compartment with the folks from Deffry Vale.

They surrounded her, all talking at the same time, and Rose calmed them as best as she could. It was easy to calm the younger ones; it was Gwen and Danny who stared at her with fear and disbelief. 

"Everything's fine!" she told them, infusing her voice with strength. "We hit a snag back there, but everything's back on track and we should arrive at...at our destination right on time."

"That's true," Riley chimed in. "Ely is ten minutes up the track!"

"There you go!" Rose grinned. "I'm going to check in with Theta and then we'll be back to help everyone disembark."

She gave them all a reassuring smile and led Riley out of the car. 

"I don't think they believed you," he said as the door closed behind them.

"Don't think so either," Rose said. 

Before he could say anything else, the door at the other end of the car burst open and Theta emerged. His eyes met Rose's and a grin split his face. 

"Theta!" she cried, running towards him.

His arms were around her in a moment, lifting her easily and swinging her through the air. 

"Everybody lived, Rose!" he exclaimed. "Just this once! Everybody lived!"

"They did," she agreed just before his mouth found hers.

"I'm gonna, just go then," Riley said, but they both ignored him, in favor of each other's lips.

It was some time before they could speak again, but Theta didn't release his hold on her and she kept her hands firmly locked around his neck. 

"We made it!" she said, keeping her eyes on his, her words a praise and a challenge all at once. "And we're both safe."

He nodded, doubt showing in his eyes. 

She shook her head, pressing her forehead to his. "We're safe, Theta. You and I. We're safe and we're together and that's all that matters."

"But you - you could have died."

"I could have and so could you, but I didn't and you didn't and that's _all_ that matters."

She could tell he didn't totally agree with that assessment, but she knew there would be time enough to talk about that later. For now there were more pressing concerns.

"What happened?"

His lips tightened. "Sabotage."

He released his hold on her and she stepped backwards. "From who? Torchwood?"

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "I traced the signal and it had the same coding as the extra chip I found in the transmitter."

"You think someone in the Renegades is a traitor?"

"It's the only explanation that makes sense. They used a tracking device attached to the earbud and somehow hacked into the train."

"But why? There are innocent people on this train!" Rose exclaimed.

"Whoever did this doesn't see them as people, just collateral damage for their real target," he said.

"Which is what?" she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Us," he said grimly. "Whoever it is wants us dead."

Rose stared at him in shock. "Suki?"

"I don't think so," he said. "She's told us too much about her plans -"

"She's barely told us anything!" Rose interrupted.

"She's told us enough though that we could cause her problems if we wanted to. No, I think it's someone else."

Rose opened her mouth to ask who again but Gwen chose that moment to walk in. 

"We're almost there," she said without preamble.

Theta nodded and the three of them headed back towards the middle compartment again.

"What happened back there?" Gwen asked as they walked.

"Lost control of the train," Theta explained. "But we got it back! Way to go keeping everyone calm."

Gwen snorted. "You two really are mental."

"Yep!" Theta agreed. 

They arrived back with the group just as the train began to slow.

"You'll have four minutes," Riley's voice sounded over the intercom when Rose pressed the button to say goodbye. "And best of luck to you in your travels. Maybe we'll run into each other again."

Rose hummed noncommittally, seriously doubting that they would. She didn't really think this lifestyle lended itself to running into the same people more than once.

Danny and Gwen had already gotten everyone to their feet and were forming them into lines, making sure everyone had partners.

"Look at them!" Theta grinned. "They didn't think they could do it and now they're taking charge."

"Nothing like getting thrown into the moment to make you realize what you're capable of," Rose said wryly.

Theta squeezed her hand in response and she could feel his apology and his pride all at once. She smiled at him and then turned to help prepare the passengers for disembarkment. 

The moment the doors flew open it was a sort of controlled chaos. Danny hopped down first and Theta immediately followed and the two of them helped everyone else exit. Rose and Gwen were the last two off and the train ruffled their hair as they jumped. 

"Wow! That was a close one!" Rose exclaimed.

"They have to keep to a strict schedule," Danny explained. "The trains are spaced close enough that if they stop they could get smashed by the next one."

"Yeah," Rose said, "So I've heard."

The spot the train had dropped them was a few minutes' walk from the outpost of Ely and the road was dusty. Theta and Rose hung towards the back with Gwen, pressing the rest of the vial of medicine in her hand as they spotted the roofs of the town. Theta nodded to Rose; it was time.

"Bye Gwen," Rose said before Theta could touch the vortex manipulator.

"You're leaving?" she asked, swinging around to look at them.

"Yep," Theta answered. "Don't much like staying around for clean up, me."

"You'll be alright, though," Rose reassured her. "You've got Danny to help and you've got good instincts."

"But how will I explain this? No one will ever believe me!" Gwen cried.

"I think you'll find people will start believing a lot of things," Theta said. "Besides, you're a journalist - make them believe your story!"

Making sure he had a firm grasp on Rose, Theta touched the buttons on his wrist and Gwen's worried face faded from view.

The journey was thankfully a short one, but Rose still gasped when the world stopped flashing.

"I think it's getting worse," she groaned. "Where are we?"

She looked around her, expecting to see either Berkshyre or the ancient cabin, but seeing neither one. Instead they were standing on a cliff top that was strangely reminiscent of her vision many weeks ago.

"Theta?" she said, anxiety creeping in her tone as she turned to look at him.

He smiled at her, sensing her worry, and holding out his arms to her. Gratefully she buried herself in them, resting her cheek on his chest. It was beautiful here, something she hadn't noticed last time. Waves crashed far below and the cries of birds echoed off the rocks. Far across the horizon she could see the sun was beginning to set. 

"I love you, Rose Tyler," Theta murmured, his breath ghosting over her hair. "I want you to not be afraid of me or of your dreams of me."

"I'm not," she said instantly, but she knew what he meant and she loved him all the more for bringing her here, to replace her hallucinations of him with fact.

They stood where they were for a long time, enjoying the feel of the wind as it rose and fell around them and the sounds of the world as it turned, content to be together. 

"We should check in," Rose said at last.

She felt more than saw him nod. "We'll call."

He touched his wrist and they were further down the cliff, nestled in an alcove and protected from the wind and the sounds of the water. Lifting his ATMOS from his pocket he passed it over and she pressed the buttons that would connect them to Suki. It took a few tries before her hologram appeared before them.

"You did more than I asked," Suki started the conversation without preamble.

"It's what we do," Rose said, her hackles rising again at the thought of sacrificing all of those people.

"I'm getting that idea," Suki answered and she sounded tired. 

"Suki, are you alone?" Theta asked.

"Why?"

"Something we need to tell you," he said.

"Alone with some trusted advisers," she hedged.

"Then all I'll say is trust no one," Theta told her. "What's the old Earth saying? Keep your enemies close and your friends closer."

Suki's laugh was harsh. "No one is a friend in war times, Time Lord, don't you know that?"

Theta cringed and Rose squeezed his shoulder. "We just wanted to warn you," she said.

"I hear the warning," Suki said. "Sources say your vortex manipulator has come through."

"Where is it?"

"Just outside of Cardyff. Coordinates 51.4811° North and 3.179° West. You can check in when you've gotten your gear and gotten some rest."

Suki's face disappeared and Theta and Rose stared at each other. 

"Ready to go pick this up?" Theta asked.

"Sure," she shrugged. "You know I'm not too keen on them, but it seems like the thing to do."

"Alright then!" Theta typed in the coordinates on his wrist and the side of the cliff disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things don't go according to plan (much NSFW here)

Before Rose could fully catch her breath, she was aware of shouts and rough hands were grabbing her shoulders. Her eyes flew open to see men she didn't know surrounding her and Theta - trying to rip them apart. Theta was having none of that and his anger was clear to see. It was giving their attackers some pause, but they were armed with weapons and he was not.

"What do you want?" he roared and Rose was gratified to see them back up a hair.

"We have orders to arrest you on sight," one of them said in a gravelly voice.

"Orders from who?" Rose demanded, using her elbow to discourage the particularly handsy man who was holding her.

"From Suki Macrae Cantrell - leader of the Renegades!" he announced.

Rose looked at Theta, but didn't need his wrinkled forehead to tell her that he didn't believe them either. 

"We just talked to her," Rose protested. "Call her and ask!"

"Don't need to," a different one grumbled. "Just got word from her second-in-command."

"Who?" Theta asked. "Mr. Jefferson? Zachary Cross Flane?"

"No. Adam Mitchell!" Came the reply.

"Ahh," Rose and Theta said together and they shrugged.

"Very well then," Theta said. "What's it to be then? A hole in the ground? Dungeon? Tall tower?"

The men looked at each other; clearly they hadn't had time to come up with a good plan on detaining their new captives.

"Old boathouse?" One of them asked and the others nodded.

"This way!"

The group prodded them forward and Rose looked at their surroundings with interest. She could see Cardyff in the distance, the smooth dark metal rising from the earth and looking particularly out of place against the grass and trees. She could smell salt in the air and could hear the crash of waves. She wasn't sure if these details would help them, but she was determined to learn as much as she could just in case.

She could sense Theta doing the same and she ached to touch him. Their guards were making an obvious effort to keep them apart and Rose let her mind cover the space between them. He met her halfway, his consciousness caressing hers and it helped her to relax. No matter what, he would be accessible to her.

They reached an old building on the edge of the water which Rose presumed was the rumored boathouse. It was a rickety shed and Rose raised an eyebrow. If this was how they intended to keep them imprisoned, she didn't anticipate this interlude to last long at all. Theta evidently had the same thought and she heard him snort at the sight.

The locals clearly had some doubts about the security of their jail as well because they instantly started talking about setting up a watch and "don't you try anything" and "bad wolf population in this area." Rose and Theta nodded agreeably and they were ushered inside the building. The inside was just as small as the outside had seemed and littered with old buckets, farm equipment, fishing poles, and a distinct lack of boats.

"How come you call it a boathouse if there aren't any boats?" she couldn't help asking.

"It's not that kind of boathouse," one of them said grudgingly.

"Listen," the main one spoke up. "Adam'll be here in the morning, he said, so just stay put, okay? Don't want no trouble with you lot."

"We're no trouble," Theta said.

"Yeah, we run from trouble," Rose agreed.

The men looked unsure, but backed out of the building. They could hear a chain slide through the handles of the door and a heavy lock click into place. 

Theta snagged two buckets from the heap and flipped them upside-down, sinking down on one of them and gesturing for Rose to do the same. She looked at her Time Lord, a sudden flash of desire going through her.

"How do you rate this jail?" she asked, reaching out to interlace their fingers.

"Mmm." He glanced around, pretending to give it deep thought. "I'd say a six out of ten."

"Wow! A six! And I thought the tunnel was bad."

"Well, that one we had privacy." Theta pointed out. "These walls are so thin they can hear us breathe."

"Better not breathe then," she said, placing one hand on his knee and sliding it upwards.

"Rose," Theta warned.

"Theta," she whispered, dropping to her knees in front of him.

He gestured at the door, the sound of pacing boots as loud as if the owner was in the room with them.

"Guess you'll just have to be quiet," she grinned up at him, tongue between her teeth.

Her hand had reached the center of his thighs and she grasped him through the material. He was hard already and she smirked, squeezing him lightly and feeling him jump in her hands. Releasing him, she popped open his button and eased down his zip, freeing him from the confines of his clothing. He was beautiful like this, cock out, body straining towards her - his eyes on her every move. 

Theta's breath came out in a gasp as she wrapped her thumb and forefinger around him, teasing his skin with light pressure. She moved her fingers up and down as lightly as a feather and his hands found her shoulders and she smirked at him. They had all night and she was determined to make him wait for it.

Slowly she added the rest of her fingers, until she had her fist wrapped around him. Even then she didn't increase the rapidity of her wrist or the pressure of her fingers and she could tell by the grip of his hands that he wanted so much more. His breathing was huskier now and she looked up at him under half-closed eyes, shaking her head and acting like she was going to let go.

His eyes went wide and she could see him make a conscious effort to relax his breathing. The moment he did, she increased the pressure of her hand and listened to his sharp intake of breath. Her grin was wicked as she leaned in and breathed over his cock, watching his face go slack. Using the first two fingers of her other hand she gently ran her nails up the underside of him, until she reached his balls. 

Cupping them in her hand, she massaged them together as she changed the movement of her hand, kneading him with delicate squeezes down his length and then back up. He was rock hard now, but she knew it was nowhere near what he needed. Leaning forward again she pressed her lips to the tip of his cock and a tiny moan fell from his lips. 

Rose shook her head at him. 

"None of that," she whispered, "Or I'll really have to stop. You don't want them to come in here and see us like this do you?"

His eyes slammed closed and Rose had the idea that he might not mind that at all. She raised her eyebrows at the possibilities there as she wrapped her lips around the end of his cock. Using her tongue to delicately lap at the tip, she circled the base of him with her hand. She didn't think she could let him inside of her without making noise - they could try that another time, but she had another idea that would satisfy them both.

"Hey," she murmured. "Don't want you to miss this."

She waited until her eyes were firmly on her before using her left hand to find the waistband of her jeans. It was the work of a few seconds to pop the button and lower the zip and with a quick shimmy, she had her jeans and knickers low enough to find her center. Lowering her mouth back over his cock, she slid two fingers between her thighs.

It took some concentration, but she eventually found a rhythm. Using her mouth to suck and nibble on the tip of his cock, she stroked him with her right hand and slid her fingers through her own folds with her left. She was glad she had his cock in her mouth because it kept her from making noises. As she worked him harder, she slowly began to pump her fingers in her center, using the palm of her hand to grind against her clit. 

She could hear Theta above her; it would be hard to mistake his pants for anything but what they were now, and she wanted to hush him, wanted to make this last longer, but she was right at the edge and she so desperately wanted them there together. She added a twist to her movement on him, pumping her fingers faster and faster until she reached the pinnacle and then hollowing her cheeks and sucking hard as she clenched down on her own fingers. She felt him spurt hot and wet against the back of her throat and she swallowed him down again and again, riding out the aftershocks of her own orgasm with him.

When she released him, he pulled her upwards to straddle his hips at once, and kissing her hard, his tongue scraping against her own. She meant to move off of him, to get them dressed and presentable, but she felt him hard against her and she knew the idea as soon as he had it. 

"Oh no," she muttered, pulling backwards. 

There was no way she could stay quiet, but the smirk on his face told her he already knew that fact and was planning on enjoying it immensely. He paused though, searching her eyes to see if her no was something he needed to listen to and she loved him so much at that moment she felt like she was going to combust. She nodded slightly and his answering grin was wide.

He wasted no time at all, reaching between them and grasping his cock. She lifted her hips and he positioned himself at her entrance, his fingers sliding inside just slightly and she moaned aloud. 

"None of that," he whispered and she glared at him. 

She knew he could communicate through their mental bond, but then - so could she have and turnabout was fair play, after all. 

"Bite down on my shoulder, if you need," he said. "Leather won't break."

Rose nodded and lowered her face to his shoulder, inhaling the heady aroma of leather and spice and time. She was glad she had her face where it was a second later as he guided her down on him. It had barely been twenty-four hours since the last time he was inside of her, but the intervening time felt like ages and her teeth closed in the leather as he filled her up. She knew she needed to move, but it took her a moment to collect her thoughts and by then his low groan filled her ears.

"Shhh," she cautioned, teasing him, even as she lifted her hips up and brought them back down.

He gripped her waist, helping her move, and it took awhile to establish a tempo that worked for them both. Eventually she needed to release her grip on his jacket and place her hands on his shoulders instead and with his help, she was able to move her body up and down on him. She had to clench her teeth together to fight the noises she urgently wanted to make as she lifted up and sank all the way down. 

It was clear he was as desperate as she was and his grunts were getting louder. She was certain any second the guards would break in and she felt a flush of embarrassment at the idea of them walking in and finding them like this; her with her jeans and knickers off riding a nearly fully-clothed Time Lord. She wondered what they would think; if they would be jealous of what he had and then she gasped, realizing it was Theta's thoughts that were filling her mind.

Shaking her head, she leaned close to his ear, rotating her hips so she barely moved on him.

"You want them to find us, don't you," she whispered, taking a moment to bite down gently on his lobe. "You want them to walk in and see me like this - see you all needy. Wanted them to see us earlier, huh, you getting your cock sucked while I got myself off."

She had no idea where all these words were coming from; she had certainly not tried anything like this before, but from the noises he was making, it was clear it was working for him. She stuck out her tongue and licked the edge of his ear before leaning backwards once more.

"Hold on then," she said and it was not quiet.

"Ummm?" There was a knocking on the door of the shed and Rose smirked down at Theta. "Everything alright in there?"

"Oh yes," Rose said and she leaned away from him, trusting his hands to support her.

Throwing her head back, she focused on using his body to find her pleasure, riding him with abandon. She soon found the spot she needed to hit and let her hips find it again and again until her pleasure was in sight, until she was riding the waves with abandon. Her clenching inner walls was enough to drive him over the edge and he came with a long groan of ecstasy. 

This time there was no interrupting knock, indeed she couldn't hear anything from outside at all. Using his shoulders for leverage, Rose lifted herself off of him and grimaced at the warmth on her thighs. Picking up her knickers, she used them to clean herself and then him before bundling them up. She was about to stuff them in the pile of trash in the corner, but was stopped by Theta's outstretched hand. She shrugged and turned them over, watching with an open-mouth as he dropped them in the pocket of his jacket with a wicked grin.

Rose shook her head and pulled on her jeans as he stowed himself away behind zip and button. Together they approached the door and rested their heads against it. 

"No one's there," Theta murmured after a moment. "Superior hearing, remember."

She nodded. "We gonna use the vortex manipulator?"

"Nah, don't want to get them in trouble for not taking it us from us," he whispered. "They seem like good people."

He moved to the sole window at the back of the shed and, using his elbow, hit it directly in the middle. Cracks immediately rippled through the surface and he hit it again. The glass hit the ground with barely a sound and she nodded, impressed. 

It took awhile for them both to scramble through the open window and when they finally stood on the grass outside, both were sporting several cuts and bruises. Rose winced as she pulled a sliver of glass from his palm. She saw lights in the distance and motioned towards them. Theta nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her away and up the beach.

They ran for a while, keeping close to the shadows and trying to avoid the boulders on the edge of the sand. At last they reached a curve in the land and Theta stopped behind a large boulder. Rose sank to the ground gratefully, her heart pounding in her ears. 

"Got to get better at the running," she panted. 

He chuckled, peering around the boulder back in the direction from which they had come.

"Seems like we lost our guards," he said. 

"Good," she said. "What's the plan now?"

"I don't know," he said slowly. "I feel like there's something here, you know?"

She tilted her head to one side, listening. She was about to say no, when she heard it. It was a low thrum, barely loud enough to be called a noise and it was coming from the direction they had yet to travel.

They stood up together, picking their way slowly. Rose's mind was full of dangers, of Renegades and Torchwood and all manners of other ill, but, at the same time, there was something oddly comforting about the thrum. It grew louder as they walked and it started to sound almost like a song.

At last they rounded another bend and in front of them, across a small meadow, stood a blue shed. It was tall, taller than either of them, with a light on the top that was pulsing intermittently. It had windows on the sides she could see and there were words written around the top. 

"Police Public Call Box," she read. "Theta? What's a police public call box?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a discovery

There was no answer and she turned towards him, eyebrows raised. His face was a mask of shock as he stared at the shed. Without a word he walked forwards, showing no concern for any potential enemies lurking in the shadows.

"Theta?" she whispered urgently and then darted after him, snagging his hand.

His fingers tightened around hers, but it seemed more reflexive than anything else. The singing in her mind was louder now and it drowned out any thoughts he was having; in fact, it almost seemed like he was singing along - an ancient melody she could only barely comprehend. They were almost to the shed now and Theta walked like a man in a trance. 

He stopped at the edge of the shed, an arms-length from the doors, and stared. She was shocked to see tears standing in his eyes and her heart clenched as she desperately tried to understand what he was feeling. The feelings she was receiving from him were confusing and she could feel the beginning of a headache forming behind her eyes. He reached out and touched the edge of the shed with his hand, pressing his palm flat to the wood and bowing his head as if in prayer.

Theta stayed like that for a long time and she stayed with him, her hand in his, her head resting against his arm, sending soothing thoughts his way. At last he opened his eyes and lifted his head, his hand sliding down to the handle. He gripped it tight like if he didn't one or both of them would disappear.

"Theta?" she tried again and was relieved when he finally looked at her.

His eyes were wide and bright and happy and she swallowed hard, trying to remember if she had ever seen such an expression of pure, unadalturated joy on his face before. 

"Rose!" he said, pushing the door open. 

She was expecting some follow-up words, but there were none forthcoming. Instead he stepped inside the shed and she was left standing in the meadow quite alone. She rocked forward on her toes and then back, hesitant about following him inside. There was something in his expression that suggested whatever this place was, it was for him alone and she couldn't help the knots forming in her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped backwards, taking stock of the situation. What was this place, anyway? It was a shed - a shed painted with fading blue paint that looked like it had seen better days. There was a sign on the wall by the door and she stared at the black letters. They read: "Police Telephone" and then below that: "FREE FOR PUBLIC USE" and "Advice and Assistance Obtainable Immediately" and "Officers & Cars Respond To All Calls." In small letters at the bottom: "PULL TO OPEN". She laughed and was vaguely surprised to hear it come out as a hiccup; Theta had quite clearly pushed the doors open.

Rose moved away from the front, completing a slow circuit around the whole shed. It looked innocuous sitting here, like someone's son had gotten excited about painting their old toolshed, but she knew, she just knew there was more to it than that. She found herself back at the doors and she lifted her hand in an unconscious imitation of Theta, pressing her hand flat to the side.

She gasped at the song that filled her head, flowing through her veins and setting her nerve-endings on fire. It was singing - the shed was singing, and it was singing to her. She didn't understand the words, but at the same time she understood the song; a harmony of loss and grief and a melody of healing and love. 

Afterwards, she was never certain how long she stood and listened, but eventually she became aware of Theta's arms around her, holding her to his chest and listening to the song with her. She turned to him, aware of the tears running down her cheeks.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"It's my TARDIS, Rose," he murmured in awe. "And she's found me."

She shook her head, not understanding a word he said. She slid her hand down the side of the shed, reluctant to break contact.

"Can I - I mean, can you show me inside?" she asked, her old insecurity raising its head.

"Of course!" Theta flung open the door and gestured inside. "Welcome to my TARDIS, Rose Tyler!"

Rose took a tiny step inside the door and froze, staring around her. The room she found herself in was much, much larger than the outside of the shed had led her to believe. Directly in front of her a ramp led upwards to a large control center with levers, buttons, and wheels. A glass tube ran from the center of the controls up, up, up to the ceiling far above them. The bronze walls were circular with patterns inscribed in the metal and the floor underfoot appeared to be a metal grating. Here and there throughout the room were support pillars in the shape of branches and on the far wall was a doorway that seemed to lead to a hall.

Rose groped for Theta's hand and was relieved when his fingers threaded through hers at once, the contact grounding her. She could still hear the singing, but faintly, and the soft lighting seemed warm and alive. 

"What is it?" she breathed.

"A TARDIS," he explained. "That's Time and Relative Dimension in Space. She's my ship."

"She's alive."

"She is!" Theta smiled. "You don't build a TARDIS - you grow them. And this is mine."

"How did she come here?"

"I -" he paused, his voice thick with emotion. "I think she followed me."

Rose stretched out her other hand and closed it over the railing, using it to help propel her up the ramp and further into the room. When she reached level ground she turned to look at him.

"Tell me more."

Theta smiled down at her and led her over to a seat she hadn't seen at her first inspection. It was a plastic-covered bench situated within arm's length of the center control area. As she settled on it, she noticed that beneath the grating at her feet she could see a seemingly endless maze of wires and machinery.

"She seems awfully technological for having been grown," she commented.

Theta laughed. "She's an obsolete Type 40 TT Capsule and I borrowed her."

"Stole her, you mean," Rose said and then gasped, not at all sure how she had come to know that fact.

"She likes you," Theta smiled. "Already in your head."

Rose pursed her lips. "She's telepathic too, then."

"Yep!" he agreed.

"Sometimes I forgot how mental it is being with an alien," Rose chuckled.

"Oi!" Theta exclaimed. 

"Oi yourself!" 

She rolled her eyes and shifted so she could lean sideways against him. At once his arms came down around her, holding her to his chest, and she relaxed into the familiar feel and smell of him.

"So, your TARDIS found you somehow."

Theta nodded. "At the end of the war I barely escaped with what I had: my sonic and my vortex manipulator. There was no time to find the TARDIS. I tried to summon her, but I was so weak and I just put in some coordinates and I woke up in your cabin."

"I remember that part pretty well," Rose smiled.

He kissed the top of her head. "Me too. But it seems like she followed me anyway, but New Earth and Gallifrey are...were pretty far apart and I picked coordinates at random. She came through the rift, but she can't fly far without a pilot so she must have crashed after that."

"Is she okay?" Rose asked, her heart turning over for the ship.

"Rose Tyler," Theta murmured, using one hand to turn her face towards his, and pressing his lips to hers.

It was a relief to kiss him and to feel his consciousness wrapping around her and she reveled in the feel of him in her mind and against her skin. She could still sense the fear in her stomach and the pounding in her head, but it was slowly dissipating. 

"Rose?" He pulled back to look at her. "I'm not leaving you."

"Yeah," she nodded, focusing her gaze on his jumper. "I know."

"Really," he said, placing one finger under her chin and lifting it so he could meet her eyes. "You are mine and I am yours. Nothing's going to get between us."

She nodded, surprised to feel tears filling her eyes again. His face crumpled as he looked at her and then he was kissing her, kissing her eyes, her cheeks, her nose, and then her lips - pouring his love and commitment and devotion into every thought and action. For once she was content to just kiss him, not needing anything more; this was intense enough.

Eventually they disentangled themselves and Rose looked around with renewed interest. 

"It's bigger on the inside?" She waited for his nod. "So how much bigger?"

He winked at her and gestured towards the hallway door. "Why don't we find out?"

Rose's eyes widened at the possibilities and she stood up, running one finger around the edge of the controls. 

"What's this called?" 

"The console - this is the console room," he told her. "But there's more to it."

Together they left the room, making their way down the hall hand-in-hand. Rose couldn't stop her exclamations of surprise as they explored. They found a kitchen, a library, and a bedroom with an attached en-suite that had Rose gasping at the walk-in shower and luxurious bathtub. The hall was shorter than she expected and there was a distinct air of apology about the far end that suggested there was meant to be more.

"She's been without power for awhile and she has been trying to conserve energy," Theta explained. "We need to get her to the rift so she can power up and then she'll be able to expand further. Wait till you see her at full power!"

"She's beautiful even so," Rose said, brushing one hand against the wall and jumping only slightly at the hum that emanated from it.

"She is," Theta said and Rose shook her head when she realized his soft grin was aimed at her. 

Rose went up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, pulling away before he could deepen it.

"Well, come on then," she said, tugging his hand back towards the Console Room. "Let's go get her some power!"

Rose settled herself on the jump seat and watched Theta all but dance around the console, moving levers, hitting buttons, and adjusting wires. It seemed to her that he was getting reacquainted with the ship instead of actually doing anything towards moving them from Point A to Point B.

"Can you pilot it?" Rose teased when he had been at it for at least five minutes with no further progress.

"Can I pilot it? Can I pilot it? Of course I can pilot it!" He shook his head at her in mock exasperation and smacked something with a rubber mallet.

She yawned, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. "But don't you need a manual?"

"A manual, she says! Even if I had one, I'd throw it into a black hole." He flipped a switch and a blue light began to wheeze in the glass tube. "I've flown her before, you know."

"Mmmhmm," she agreed with another yawn. "Just seems to be taking a while."

"Rose Tyler, you can't rush perfection." He rolled his eyes and turned a knob. 

The wheezing grew more intense and, with a sound like she thought maybe the planets made as they turned, they were moving. 

"Just dematerialized from there," he explained, holding a lever with one hand and adjusting the knob with his other. "And now we're materializing right over the rift."

"Do you mean we're in Cardyff now?" she asked. "And how did you know where to land?"

"Followed the monitors." He gestured towards them. 

"That circular stuff?"

"Yeah, that's Gallifreyan," he said softly.

She felt the combined pain and joy he was feeling and she reached out a hand to touch his arm and he looked at her with a smile.

"Look!" He flipped a button on the monitor and a view of a city street appeared. "That's what's outside."

"Right now?" She stretched her neck to see. "But I didn't see any cameras."

"Don't need them; superior technology," he boasted.

She laughed. "Of course your ship is superior too. Anything you've got that isn't?"

He pretended to think about it. "Nope!"

"Daft you are," she smiled. "But won't we get noticed? Big blue box in the middle of Cardyff? And why is it a blue box anyway?"

"It's a cloaking device, called a chameleon circuit. The TARDIS is meant to disguise herself wherever she lands. Like she really should have been a tree or a shrub back there, but I landed in the 1960's on Old Earth and she got stuck as a police box."

"A what now?"

"A police box! They used to be everywhere on Old Earth. You could step inside and phone for police - that's the sort of law enforcement they used to have. Plus they could be used as a jail if you needed."

"Like Torchwood?" Rose asked, trying to imagine Torchwood using blue sheds to contain people.

"No, well, sort of. They weren't meant to be originally, but they got worse and worse towards the end." Theta sighed, staring into the distance. "They were meant to help people and enforce the law so normal people, good people, could live their lives peacefully. But they got caught up in their power. There were police here too, but they got worse too. That's what it's like with you humans: taking a good thing and making it into the worst possible version."

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed. "Not all of us!"

"No, not all of you." He looked back to her with a smile, picking up her hand and landing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"Anyway, you were saying why we won't get noticed."

"Well, that's something else about the human race. You put a mysterious blue box slap-bang in the middle of town, what do they do? Walk past it." He shook his head at her. "It's ridiculous really. Now I've got to open up the engines so we can soak up the energy."

He walked over to one of the panels on the floor and jimmied it upwards, hopping down into the belly of the ship. Rose shifted sideways until she was curled up on the seat. She hadn't slept in nearly thirty-six hours and the adrenaline of the day was catching up with her in a big way.

"Tell me about this rift and how we get the energy?" she called sleepily.

"It's invisible, but it's kind of like an earthquake fault between different dimensions. It generates energy, harmless to the human race but perfect for the TARDIS. Park it here for a couple hours, open up the engines, soak up the radiation, like filling her up with petrol!"

"Petrol?"

"Old Earth term. You New Earthers jumped straight from horse-drawn carriages to vortex manipulators and ATMOS. You had the tech when you got here so you just skipped the middle steps. Funny really how you managed that. Guess it took the inventors a bit to catch up with..."

But that was the last Rose heard.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is smut (and some plot)

When Rose woke up, she didn't at first know where she was. Blinking her eyes at the warm gold walls, the events of the previous day slowly came back to her. The bed was soft and her covers were warm, but the cold spot next to her told her that Theta hadn't come to bed at all. Flipping back the blankets, she crawled out of bed smiling as she noticed her jeans neatly folded on the nightstand and picturing Theta carrying her into bed and making sure she was properly comfortable.

Stripping off the the rest of her clothes and leaving them on the floor, she padded to the en suite and started the water running for a shower, eyeing the bathtub longingly. Silently she promised she would take advantage of its length and breadth (and not by herself, if she could help it), but for now she needed a quick wash so that she could find Theta and see what he was up to.

The moment the pounding water hit her skin, she groaned, knowing this was going to be no quick wash. It had been days since she had enjoyed a real wash. She remembered the first time Theta had introduced her to a shower in Londyn a few days after they had begun traveling together. It was one of the many things that growing up in Powell had robbed her of and she was determined to enjoy every second. 

Pushing away the frustration at Powell's backwardness, Rose focused instead on the way in which Theta had introduced her to a shower, with his naked body pressed against hers and his hands rubbing shampoo through her hair. They had gotten distracted many times from the task of washing and had taken full advantage of the unlimited hot water. 

Closing her eyes at the memory, she slid her hands down her body, starting at her shoulders and letting the tips of her fingers skate over her breasts, down over her stomach, and just barely touching her thighs before moving back up. In her mind's eye she could see Theta standing behind her, his hands spanning her hips, pulling her backwards against him. Using her thumbs to draw circles around her nipples, she tipped her head back, feeling the water pound against her scalp.

Slowly, oh so slowly, she lowered her right hand, using her nails to scrape trails of fire across her belly that went straight to her clit. She remembered Theta's groan as his fingers had slid through her thighs, her answering cry of ecstasy. Her own fingers found her center and she didn't bother concealing the needy noise that dropped from her lips at first contact.

She pressed the pad of her middle finger against her clit and moved it back and forth. She was so wet there was no friction, and she pressed down, harder, rolling her hips in tiny circles. Her left hand squeezed her nipple, rolling it through her fingers, imagining Theta's calloused one in its place, the way he was obsessed with her breasts and would spend hours playing with them, licking them, sucking them, worshiping them. 

Gradually she slid her right hand further in, separating her fingers to easily move them through her folds, the combination of pleasure and steamy water making it easy. She increased the pace, picturing the way Theta had spun her around and dropped to his knees, his mouth taking the place of his fingers. His tongue had lapped at her, delicately tickling her center, and she followed his path with her fingers. 

She groaned as her fingers finally slid into her center and she turned into the water, squeezing her nipple with her left hand, the water spraying her body. It didn't take long before her fingers were plunging in and out, the palm of her hand grinding down against her clit and her other hand frantically rolling her nipple. Her eyes were closed and she could see Theta in her mind: the way his fingers pressed into her skin as he sucked at her, the noises of rapture falling from his lips almost enough to send her over the edge.

Her fingers curled and she whimpered when she found the spot she had been searching for. She lost track of her daydream as she hit it over and over, her head falling back to hit the wall and her eyes rolling back as she screamed her pleasure to the ceiling. When she could breathe, she slid her fingers from her body and let out of a sigh of contentment. She wondered if Theta had heard her and she hoped he had, at the very least, enjoyed the show from wherever he was.

Narrowing her eyes, Rose wondered where indeed he was and why her actions hadn't brought him to her side. She finished washing her hair and body in a hurry and snagged a towel from a nearby rack to wrap around her body. She didn't bother with clothes as she made her way back through the bedroom and down the hall, her feet leaving damp prints against the floor.

As she rounded the corner into the console room she gasped as she caught sight of Theta. He was seated on the floor, reclining back against the wall, jeans and boxers down around his knees and cock out. As she watched he wrapped his hand around himself, sliding it up and down his shaft. Rose leaned against the doorway, enjoying the sight before her. 

His hand and cock were slick and she spied a bottle of lube nearby, her heart skipping a beat as she thought of him picking up that bottle somewhere with this in mind. He was taking full advantage of it now, his hand tugging at his cock, his eyes closed and mouth open. His needy pants were like shock-waves through her system and she could feel herself growing wet again. She wanted to touch herself, but somehow knew that was against the rules of whatever little game they were playing.

Instead she stayed where she was, hands at her sides, as she watched him tug firmly at his cock, enjoying the way it grew under his ministrations, curling slightly towards his belly. Every so often he would pause to swipe one finger over the tip of his cock or to change the direction of his movement. Slowly his other hand dropped down to his balls, rolling them between his fingers as he continued to work his cock.

The noises Theta made were unmistakable now, his breathing as fast as his hand, and she leaned forward, desperately wanting to see the climax. And then he was coming, spurting over his hand, as he groaned out her name. It was that which prompted her to walk towards him, dropping her towel as she went. 

He opened his eyes to the sight of her lowering herself over him. Rose smirked at his wide-eyed expression as she closed her hand over his cock, positioning him exactly where she wanted him. She maintained eye contact as she slowly encased him inside of her walls, both of them moaning in sync.

She knew she didn't need much stimulation after his show and so she started to move slowly, waiting for him to be ready to join her. Just like in her fantasy, he dropped his head to her breast at once, using his teeth to excite and his tongue to soothe. It didn't take long before he was arching his hips and she knew he was ready. She picked up speed, clenching her fingers into the skin of his shoulders, and riding him with abandon.

Her second orgasm brought stars to her eyes and she could barely feel him driving upwards once, twice, three more times before shooting off inside of her. She slumped forward, exhausted and he caught her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

When her heart rate had slowed, she pushed back, grinning down at him wickedly. He smirked and kissed her long and hard.

"That was fun," she said when they separated.

"It was. Should do it again sometime."

"We should," she agreed, using his shoulders to propel herself upwards.

She stretched luxuriously, enjoying the way his eyes roved across her nude body. "But later. I have to get dressed."

"Shame," he said.

Her laughter echoed backwards as she made her way back to the bedroom. It didn't take long before she was dressed in clothes that were easy to move in and re-emerged into the hall. 

"Theta?" she called, realizing that the other end of the hall was much longer.

When he didn't respond she hummed and followed the hall by herself, multiple doors dotted the walls and other passages branched off here and there. She opened a few of the doors and discovered a room for tools, a garden whose flowers smelled exquisite, a dark room from which something howled, a pool room that invited a lot of ideas about how she and Theta could make use of it, and so many others she had trouble keeping track.

She was relieved when one turned out to be a kitchen. It had been a good while since she had last eaten and she was ravenous. At some point she was determined to take advantage of the multiple cupboards stashed with more food than Rose had ever seen in one place, but for the moment she spent a bit of time making herself some tea and toast. 

Still crunching her toast, she started back on her exploration of the TARDIS, beginning to get the idea that it was growing as she was exploring, and when she reached what appeared to be the end of a hall, only to have it suddenly open up before her, her suspicions were confirmed. She was starting to wonder how on earth she was going to find the console room again, but no sooner had the thought crossed her mind when a new door appeared to her left. She shook her head in wonderment as the familiar sound of Theta tinkering spilled into the hall.

"Have fun?" he asked as she entered the room.

"Oh yeah," she breathed, sinking down into the jumpseat. "There are so many rooms and passageways and just...does it ever stop?"

"Don't think so." He shrugged. "She's still alive, still growing. I imagine when she gets to know you she'll add rooms just for you."

Rose breathed a thank you in her mind, gasping when a tinkling hum of thanks echoed back towards her. She grinned, thinking she and the TARDIS would get along just fine.

"So is she all powered up then?" she asked.

"Just about." Theta looped a wire around and threaded it into the wall. "Just need to finish this circuit and we'll be good to go."

"Where will we go? Back to Berkshyre?"

"Back to...?" He stopped and stared at her. "Rose, we can go anywhere."

"Anywhere?"

"Yeah, this box isn't just a New Earth hopper you know. It can go anywhere in the universe, free of charge!" He stopped and his expression turned wicked. "Maybe a little bit of charge."

She rolled his eyes. "Anywhere in space? But what about Torchwood and the regulations against space travel? Won't we get caught?"

"Aww, come on, Rose Tyler! Almost getting caught is half the fun! Besides," he gestured with his sonic and almost lost a hold of it, "we've survived jails before."

"Quite well actually," she agreed, thinking back to the rickety shed. "Alright, Time Lord - where are we going?"

His head disappeared into the wall for a moment and a moment later a grinding sounded from the console. 

"Hit the lever!" he cried and she leaped to her feet.

"What lever?"

"That one...the center of that set! By the knob! My side of the console!" 

She whirled around and located a lever that vaguely matched his description.

"Middle one?"

"Yes! Quick!"

Rose pulled it upwards and the grinding subsided into a gentle whir. Theta's head re-emerged from the wall.

"Well done, you."

She grinned, tongue caught between her teeth, as he joined her. 

"So where are we going?" she asked again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they travel in time and space

"Where do you want to go?" He dropped one hand on a wheel and looked at her expectantly. "Anywhere in time and space - it's your choice. What's it gonna be?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Hold on, space and time?"

"Yeah, this is a time rotor," Theta pressed a hand to the glass tube that ran towards the ceiling. "We can travel forwards, backwards, sideways - anywhere really."

"Surprise me then," she said, catching her tongue in her teeth. 

"Let's go forwards," he decided.

He spun the wheel with his right hand, flipped two switches with his right, and leaned over to spin a dial. The time rotor began to wheeze, light pulsing up and down. The TARDIS rocked slightly and then Theta spun another dial and the movement stopped.

"There you go then," he said, pointing to the doors. "Step outside and it's the 16th century - the year 1543 PNEC. New Earth has been settled for exactly 1543 years."

She looked between him and the door. "You're kidding. How do we survive the war?"

He smiled and it was fond. "Humans are a surprisingly resilient race, not quite invincible but the next best thing. It takes a lot to kill you lot."

"Have you been here before?"

He winked at her. "1543 is a bit boring though, don't you think? Do you want to go further?"

"Fine by me," she said, grinning at his kid-in-a-candy-shop demeanor.

He smirked and turned back to the console, spinning the wheel even more and pumping a handle up and down several times. The rotor came to life again and the TARDIS shook so hard that she had to grab onto the edge of the console for balance. At length he turned the dial again and the ship stopped.

"Twenty-thousand years into the future. Step outside now it's the year 20398."

She shook her at him. "You think you're so impressive."

"I am!" he said, holding a hand to his heart theatrically. "Alright fine, you asked for it; I know exactly where to take you!"

This time he spun the wheel with intensity and the rotor roared as the light pulsed up and down.

"Hold on!" he called, pumping the handle and grinning at her.

Rose clenched her hands on the edge of the console as the TARDIS rocked wildly. What felt like wind was buffeting the outside of the TARDIS and she could tell they were traveling much further than they had yet. 

"Not that smooth of a trip then," she teased him.

"Rose! Smoother than the vortex manipulator, anway."

She nodded; he had a point there. Despite the movement, it wasn't affecting her stomach the way the vortex manipulator had. Finally Theta turned a dial and the movement stopped. 

Theta gestured towards the door. Rose looked at it and then back at him.

"Where are we?"

He shook his head and merely re-gestured towards the exit. 

"What's out there?"

He raised his eyebrows and pointed towards the door, his amusement and happiness washing over her. She grinned at him and walked across the room and down the ramp, pulling the door open and stepping out. The door closed behind her automatically as she stared around her. 

At first nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The walls were a smooth wood-color, there were whirring heating vents near the floors, and it looked as if they had landed in a very pricey, if quiet, hotel or office building. The TARDIS was stopped on a platform and below was a staircase that led to what looked like a giant window with a metal shade over it.

The TARDIS door opened behind her and Theta came out. He winked at her and used his sonic on a keypad by the door. The shade began to open and Rose stared as the image of a planet came into view. 

"Hold on," she said, recognizing the patterns of blue and green. "That's Old Earth!"

"It is!" He picked up her hand and squeezed it. "This is the year 5 Billion Slash Apple Slash 26. And this is the day the sun expands and it gets destroyed."

Even as she watched, the sun indeed expanded - for a moment it was too bright to look at it - and then a orange glow was all around the planet. Rose stared down at it. It wasn't her planet, really, but it was where her ancestors had come from. Four hundred years really wasn't that long; New Earth was so young, so new that Old Earth was still a memory, albeit a distant one. People talked about it as if they had been there or as if they knew someone who had. Every household still had a relic, something that had been handed down; a keepsake from the original earth. 

The Tylers' had been a radio and some scratched plastic discs that played music. They kept the radio safe and brought it out only on special occasions and she remembered the songs piping out on cold evenings as she and her parents had sat around the fire, talking and playing games until way too late. She could still remember the sound of the skipping songs, the voices of the singers oddly distorted. It was the sound of peace and of happy times.

A tinny voice interrupted her thoughts, emanating from the speakers. "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation devices, and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 1539 and there are drinks available in the Bad Wolf Lounge."

"Come on," Theta said 

They walked back up the stairs and through a door on the same wall as the TARDIS. It opened into a hallway with a sign clearly showing the direction of the aforementioned lounge.

"So when they say guests, does that mean," she paused, "people?"

"And aliens," Theta nodded. 

"What are they doing here on board this, where are we? A spaceship?"

"Observation Deck," he corrected. "The wealthy citizens of the The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire..."

"The what now?"

Theta stopped them at double doors that were shut and focused his sonic on the keypad. "That's what they call this. They refer to your time as the First Great and Bountiful Human Empire."

"Great and bountiful!" Rose shook her head. 

"It gets better," he said. "Didn't I say that? You lot are resilient."

"Mmhmm," she said, not quite believing him. "Anyway, what are they here for?"

"For fun!" he said, as the door finally opened. "It's like entertainment."

The room they entered was so large as to barely be able to still be called a room. The ceilings stretched high above their heads and directly in front of them was a glass window showing the burning earth in all its flaming glory. Ornate statues sat in alcoves the length of the hall and the floor was a patterned marble. 

"So someday the sun just...what? Expands? And kills us all? Doesn't that take thousands of years?"

"Billions," he agreed. "But the planet is now the property of a National Trust under the Shadow Proclamation. They've been keeping the sun at bay with gravity satellites. They've even shifted the continents back where they were! That right there is a classic Old Earth, but the money's run out."

"How long's it got?"

He glanced at his watch. "About an hour."

Rose looked at him. "But what about the people? I've already heard rumors of trying to resettle; they say the plagues are gone by now. And if this is really the Fourth Human Empire than surely they've done that already."

"They did resettle it, during the, oh let's think here, The Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire," he told her. "But that was ages ago now; there's no one left. They've kept it as a shrine to the past, but the future's the thing."

Rose shifted her gaze back to the burning planet. It was like a magnet and it was hard to look away. She felt better knowing there was no one left, but watching it burn was a lot like watching her own planet burn and she could taste the sadness in the back of her throat. As she watched, it suddenly occurred to her that this was going to be New Earth someday, that everyone she knew and loved would be dead and it would just be her left to remember the past. Some day there would be thousands, hundreds of thousands of years separating her from Jackie and Tony and Mickey. 

"They're all dead," she whispered. 

Before Theta could respond a voice sounded from behind them.

"Who the hell are you?"

They both swung towards the intruder. He was about the same height as Theta and wearing a suit and some sort of head gear and his skin was entirely blue.

"Oi!" Theta exclaimed. "That's a nice welcome!"

"How did you get in?" the man demanded. "This area is set for maximum security! The guests are on their way any second now!"

"That's us! We're guests!" Theta interrupted, pulling the psychic paper from his pocket and holding it up. "I've got an invitation. I'm Theta and this is Rose Tyler; she's my plus one. Is that alright?"

The man straightened his shoulder. "Well, obviously. Apologies. I'm the Steward."

Theta nodded and Rose smiled reassuringly. 

"We'd better get started." The Steward hurried to a podium and clapped his hands.

Instantly the room flooded with small creatures, all with blue skin and wearing black uniforms and chattering happily to each other. 

"Positions! Quickly now!" the Steward cried. "For our first honored guests we have Theta and Rose Tyler!"

The doors slid open as two of the small creatures took their places on either side. 

"We have Reinette and the Courtiers of the New French Empire!" the Steward cried. "Please keep the room circulating! There will be gifts of peace exchanged!"

Rose gaped at the newcomers. Reinette was almost humanoid in appearance, but with an aura of beauty and magnificence Rose had never seen on a human. Her hair was bright blue and styled artfully around her bare shoulders, her skin was pale white except where it was run through with tattoos of various hues. Her maroon dress plunged low enough to see her cleavage and her slippers swished against the marble floors.

"Next we have the Adherence of the Repeated Meme from Financial District Seven."

"The inventors of the Hypo-Space Travel Systems, the brothers Pyleen."

"The ambassadors from Space Station 15!"

"Doctor and Doctor Slyfink from the City-State of Bountiful Light!"

The Stewards voice continued on, but Rose could barely hear him above the rising sound of the crowd. Each new set of guests were as different in appearance as the ones before. Some had horns, others fur or beaks or feathers, others were all pink or blue or mottled, all of them were more alien than any of the aliens she had seen so far. 

Rose could feel the blood rushing in her ears, but Theta looked and felt supremely happy and she didn't want to interrupt him with her own building misgivings. She was starting to feel more and more out of place in her jeans and jacket and Chucks when everyone in here was dressed in beautiful gowns and robes. Before she could gather her thoughts, Reinette and her Courtiers stopped in front of them.

"A gift of a jewel from The New French Empire," she said, passing over a beautiful rose-colored diamond.

"Thank you!" Theta said, passing it to Rose and patting his pockets. "A gift, a gift, ahh! I give you air from my lungs."

He opened his mouth and blew over Reinette and her Courtiers. Rose's jaw dropped as she watched him.

Reinette's eyes closed as Theta's breath hit her cheeks and it took her a beat too long to open them again. Her white cheeks had gone pink. 

"How intimate," she murmured. 

"I've got lots more!" he exclaimed.

"I bet you do." Her voice was pitched low and Rose found herself intensely disliking her.

Before Theta could answer, tall creatures in shaggy coats that covered their whole bodies approached, holding out silver spheres. "A gift of peace, in all good faith."

Theta took the sphere and tossed it to Rose, repeating the "air from my lungs" bit. 

"Ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided, or robot, our very special guest has arrived!" The Steward's voice broke through the crowd. "In memory of this dying world we call upon the last human!"

Rose stepped forward to see who the last human was as the doors slid open once again and a metal square was rolled through with what appeared to be the skin of someone's face stretched across it.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen!"

Rose gasped as the mouth of the skin opened and started to speak.

"Don't stare! It's shocking, I know, but don't stare! I hate staring. I've had my chin redone and now I'm thin and dainty. I know I don't look a day over 2000!"

Two attendants rolled Cassandra's metal contraption through the hall and stopped partway down. The crowd formed a rough semi-circle around her. Rose's stomach turned over as she stared at her. She could see veins running through the near transparent skin and the eyes, nose, and mouth were the only disturbance in the smooth expanse of skin.

"Moisturize me!" Cassandra exclaimed and one of the attendants sprayed her with a long hose. "Truly I am the last human. I grew up in the Arctic Desert. My parents were born on the Earth and they were the last to be buried there."

Rose walked towards Cassandra, circling around her and covering her mouth to conceal her gasp when she discovered that the back of her was just a long square of skin. Her whole body, if one could call it that, was barely thicker than Rose's thumb. 

"I've come to honor them and to say goodbye," Cassandra went on, her voice breaking momentarily. "But behold! I bring a gift from Old Earth! The last remaining Ostrich egg!"

One of the small blue creatures entered carrying a large egg as Rose completed her circuit of Cassandra.

"Legend says its wingspan was longer than a man's, it had razor-sharp talons, and breathed fire from its nostrils!"

Rose stopped where she was, a few paces from Cassandra and watched her mouth move, ignoring the words that she was saying for a moment. She had so many thoughts whirling through her mind she could barely decide which one to think first. Music started to play through the loudspeakers and Rose heard a song Pete had used to play while tinkering in the cabin fill the room.

"Refreshments will now be served," the Steward intoned. "Earth Death in thirty minutes."

Rose caught sight of Theta twisting his upper body to the music and she smiled at his antics. Before she could walk over there, the guests began to mingle and she was surrounded on all sides by lifeforms she didn't recognize. She stumbled backwards only to run into a creature with a beak whose talons when they touched her were not comforting. 

All of a sudden it got too much in the Hall. Where the area had felt cavernous when it had just been her and Theta, now it felt claustrophobic. Part of her wanted to find Theta, but she didn't want to interrupt his enjoyment of the festivities and she was suddenly certain she couldn't stay in the room for another moment. Rose staggered a little as she headed in the direction of the exit. 

It was a relief to have the doors slide closed, instantly muting the sounds of the party happening behind her. She wandered back towards the area the TARDIS was parked in. Even though she wasn't very well acquainted with the TARDIS, she felt more comfortable with that particular bit of alien technology than she did with anything else happening on board this space station, or observation deck as Theta called it.

She paused before a large window, staring at the burning planet. An observation deck for the end of the world, she thought with a twist of her lips. All of these creatures, these aliens, and that slip of skin calling herself the last human. As if any of them knew what a real human even was anymore, except maybe in pictures or stories. Even that seemed unlikely since they had ignored her and Theta's appearance. Not that Theta was human, but he certainly looked it. She wondered idly if Time Lords and human had similar ancestors, but figured that was something better off not asking.

A sound behind her startled her and she turned. One of the blue creatures was walking towards her. They were wearing a green jumpsuit and looked shy and a little uncomfortable at the sight of Rose.

"Sorry, am I allowed to be here?" Rose asked.

They smiled and ducked their head. "You have to give us permission to talk," they said softly.

"Oh! Um, you have permission?" Rose said, unsure if that was the correct phrasing.

Their face broke into a pleased smile. "Thank you miss! And guests are allowed anywhere."

They disappeared around a small protrusion from the wall and Rose followed, leaning against the wall and watching as they typed in a series of numbers on a keypad. 

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Raffalo, miss!" They nodded at her. "I won't be long, just need to carry out some routine maintenance." 

They finished typing in the numbers and a part of the wall slid open and they bent over and peered into it as Rose watched.

"There's a tiny glitch in one of the suites; there must be something blocking the system." Raffalo pulled a tool out and fit it in the edges of a screen. "There is no hot water getting through."

Rose nodded, watching them pry open the screen. "So, you're a plumber."

"That's right miss!"

"They still have plumbers," Rose said in wonderment.

Raffalo grinned over their shoulder at her. "I hope so, miss, else I'm out of a job!"

Rose chuckled. "Where are you from?"

"Crespallion."

Rose shook her head. She hadn't heard of that one. "That's a planet?"

"No," they said, standing up. "It's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Complex 56."

Rose nodded like that made sense to her. 

"And where are you from miss?" they asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all." Rose looked away. "Um. I don't even know, a long way away. We just took off, you know - to travel. I signed up and then we came here and I don't know, I guess I never really thought about it."

Her words trailed off as she stared at Raffalo. She hadn't really thought about any of it, not really, not until this moment standing here talking to this creature from another world. She had been constantly moving practically since Theta had first appeared in the ravine and hadn't really stopped for an extended time to really think through everything that had happened. She had an overwhelming need for Theta and she looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see him, but he wasn't there.

"Anyway!" She summoned a smile. "Don't let me keep you. Good luck with this!"

She turned away. 

"Thank you miss!" Raffalo said. "And uh, thanks for the permission, not many people are that considerate."

Rose nodded and continued down the hall. She could see the entrance to the area where the TARDIS was and she needed to see its familiar blue sides, to feel as if she still had a link to her home. As she reached the door the Steward's voice sounded over the loudspeaker.

"Would the owner of the blue box in Private Gallery Number 15 please report to the Steward's Office immediately. Guests are reminded that teleportation devices are strictly prohibited under the Shadow Proclamation's Peace Treaty Number Four Point Eight Point Seven Slash 16. Thank you."

Rose pushed open the doors of what she now knew was Private Gallery Number 15, letting her hands run over the edge of the TARDIS as she walked by, taking comfort in the hum that filled her mind. As she made her way down to the ledge that overlooked the burning planet, she realized she hadn't really felt Theta in her mind since arriving on Platform One. She missed him and the fact that she couldn't feel him was adding to her growing apprehension.

She looked down at the jewel in her hand. It was as large as her palm, multi-faceted, and clearly very expensive. She wondered what kind of person Reinette was to give something this priceless to complete strangers. She set the metal sphere on the ground and dropped the jewel in her pocket, leaning back on her hands to stare out the window.

"Earth Death in 45 minutes, Earth Death in 45 minutes." The tinny voice grated across her nerves.

"Thanks for that," she muttered as the door behind her open. 

A whole crew of small blue creatures entered and promptly surrounded the TARDIS, pushing and shoving it across the floor and out the door. Rose watched them go and the moment they were through, Theta appeared. He grinned at her and walked over, dropping down beside her.

"What do you think then?" he asked, his grin wide.

"Yeah, it's nice!" she managed, her heart constricting as she realized she could barely feel him even though his arm was brushing hers.

She ached to pick up his hand, but he hadn't reached for hers and she didn't want to intrude on his happiness with her melancholy thoughts.

"It is, isn't it?" he crowed, looking away from her and towards the burning planet.

"It's very...alien, you know?" she said. "The aliens and just, all of it. You look at them and they are just so alien!"

His brow wrinkled. "Well, yeah. This is time and space. You lot just can't handle differences, always on about how it's okay to be different, but you don't really want people to be different."

She was used to his diatribes against humanity, but this was different. This hurt. Her heart constricted some more as she stared at the planet.

"They speak English really well," she pointed out.

"No, they don't!" he said cheerfully. "That's the TARDIS. She gets in your brain and translates."

"Yeah, right, 'course." Rose shifted a bit, moving away from him.

The silence between them felt tense and she didn't know how to break it. Theta jumped to his feet and went down the stairs to the window. Rose stared at the tense lines of his shoulders, not at all sure how to fix whatever had gone so wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Theta gives his side of the story

Theta stared out of the observation window at the burning planet light-years below them. He could almost smell the sulfur as he watched the sun consume the earth. It wasn't that long ago that he had watched his own planet burn, but back then he hadn't been safely behind steel and metal and Year Five Billion technology, watching it from millions of miles away. He had been right there in the thick of it, smelling the smoke and the ash and the death billowing around him as he watched everything he loved burn because of him.

He gritted his teeth against the rush of emotion at the memory. Shoving his hands in his pockets, his mind went to the tiny New Earth girl sitting on the ledge above him. Just as their other selves had predicted in that far-off marketplace, she had become his everything. She just fit into his world, into his mind, into his hearts as if she had been born to do exactly that. And yet she was very much her own person, her compassion, her fear, her love pouring out of her and affecting everyone around them. 

He was afraid though. Afraid of losing her because this life, this world, was too...in her words, alien for her. He was certain he would not be able to handle that. It was a miracle to hear the TARDIS in his mind again, her human ever-present song in the back of his brain, reminding him that there was still some Gallifreyan tech left in the world, but as a result he had a harder time hearing Rose. He was certain this was because she had shut him out again, this time in preparation of telling him she was leaving. 

"Earth Death in 35 minutes. Earth Death in 35 minute."

Behind him he heard her feet hit the ground and the shuffle of her footsteps approaching him. He felt her hand resting on his forearm and he wondered why she didn't take his hand. She opened her mouth and he steeled himself for the coming rejection.

"Don't argue with the designated driver," she said and he swung his head to look at her. "That's what my mum always says. Don't know where it comes from, really, but she used it when we were out on fishing trips and Dad was piloting. Said it meant that if someone is responsible to get you home, you shouldn't irritate them, else they might leave you in the river."

"Not gonna leave you here," he interjected.

"Still, not like I can get home on my own," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Five Billion years later and everyone I know is dead."

His hearts clenched as he listened to her. He'd always known her fear of her extended lifespan would eventually drive them apart and it seemed as if it was happening sooner rather than later. Before he could respond, the entire place shook.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" he exclaimed, pulling the sonic out of his pocket, but then putting it back when there was nothing in the immediate vicinity to scan.

"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thank you!" The Steward's voice sounded over the intercom.

"I don't think so," Theta said, turning back towards the steps. "Come on, let's go and see what's going on."

Rose smiled and followed him up the hallway back to where the other guests were mingling. His hand kept twitching towards hers, but he refused to let himself touch her. He knew it would hurt that much more when she was gone if he gave into all of his urges now. A small voice sarcastically reminded him there were very few urges he hadn't already given into, but he ruthlessly squashed it down.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," he remarked as they re-entered the Hall. "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that."

He scanned the interface on the wall, searching for the anomaly he was certain he would find. When Rose didn't respond, he turned around to find Reinette standing there as well. He raised an eyebrow at her keen expression, surprised that she seemed interested in what was going on.

"Listen to the engines!" he exclaimed. "They suddenly pitched up about 30 Hz. Is that dodgy or what?"

"The sounds of metal doesn't make any sense to me," Reinette said.

"Where's the engine room?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Reinette admitted. "But the maintenance duct is right behind my guest suite. I could show you, if you want."

Theta nodded agreeably. It wasn't quite the direct route to the engine room, but it would get him where he wanted to go.

"Alright," he said. 

"And your assistant?" Reinette asked, indicating Rose.

"Nope, not my assistant."

"Mistress?"

"Nope!"

"Concubine? Prostitute?" Reinette listed, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you mind?" Rose broke in. "I'm not any of those things, but I'm not invisible either."

Theta grinned at her and was surprised to see her not smile back. "She's my plus one," he announced.

Neither woman seemed to have a response to that. 

"Ready then?" he asked Reinette. 

She nodded and he glanced at Rose. "You coming?"

"No," she said decidedly. "You two go and do...whatever it is you're going to do. I'm gonna stay and chat with Cassandra."

Theta narrowed his eyes, not sure why she wouldn't rather come with him, but then shrugged. Rose was starting to come into her own, after all, it was probably good for her to talk to Cassandra.

"Don't start any fights!" he warned.

Rose nodded and started off towards Cassandra. Theta watched her go, unexpected dread curling through his chest. Reinette's light cough interrupted him and he offered her a tight smile.

"Alright then!"

They followed the hallways and it wasn't long before Reinette's hand slipped through his arm. He thought about shaking her off, but he needed her help and didn't want to irritate her unduly. He was glad she kept a steady stream of conversation going as his mind was entirely centered on Rose and why she was pulling away from him. Even when he reached out with some effort, he couldn't feel her in his mind and it was leaving him very bereft.

They arrived at the entrance to the maintenance area before he had finished following his train of thought and he unlocked the keypad without really thinking about it. The inside had low ceilings and they had to duck down to move through it. Large sheaths of wire hung from the wall and pipes protruded from every direction.

"Who's in charge of Platform One?" he asked, vaguely aware he was interrupting her. "Has it got a captain or what?"

"There's just the Steward," Reinette explained, lifting her skirts out of the way of the mechanics. "And the staff. Everything else is controlled by the computer."

"Well who controls that?" 

"The corporation, of course. They move Platform One around from one event to another."

"But there is no one from the corporation on board?"

"They aren't needed," she explained. "This facility is purely automatic. Nothing can go wrong."

"I've heard that one before," he muttered. "Everything thinks they are unsinkable to they sink."

"The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"So what you're saying is if we get in trouble, there is no one to help us out?"

"I suppose so."

He grinned. "Fantastic."

"In what way is that fantastic?"

He ignored her and kept moving along the shaft, picking his way over bundled wires and pipes. The more that he could focus his mind on fixing whatever was going wrong with Platform One, the less he had to worry about whatever was going wrong with his relationship. Relationship. His mind burned with the word. He couldn't believe he had a relationship; sometimes he would sit and stare at Rose while she slept, marveling at her fragile human body and the fact that she had chosen him.

He stopped in front of the main computer interface, scanning it with his sonic. It began scrolling through its memory, displaying data on the screen and Theta studied it, searching for inconsistencies.

He was surprised to feel a hand on his forearm and he looked down to see Reinette's lily white hand resting against his jacket. He glanced over at her, shocked to find her a hairsbreadth from his face, her eyes soft.

"And you, Theta, perhaps you could tell a story or two?" she asked, her voice as sweet as honey. "Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there is no one else left."

He shook his head slightly to clear it and refocused on the interface.

"I scanned you earlier," she went on, and he could feel her eyes boring into the side of his face. "The computer had trouble identifying your species. When it finally did, well, I could hardly believe it."

He tightened his grip on the sonic.

"It was right, wasn't it?" she asked softly. "I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just want to say how very sorry I am."

Her hand tightened its pressure on his sleeve and he turned to look at her.

"I'm not alone," he managed. "I have Rose."

He shrugged off her hand and hit the sequence to open the door. He brushed past her to open it, ignoring her gaze. He didn't need anyone else, he already had the only person in the whole multi-verse that he wanted and he was going to hold on to her for as long as she wanted him.

The room they entered was the engine room at last. Large fans whirled at the far end and the wall was a mass of wires, computers, and levers.

"It's a bit nippy in here, yeah?" he said, staring at the fans. "To be fair though, that's a great bit of air conditioning. Bet they call it retro."

He used the sonic to open a panel on the wall and jumped when a metal spider fell out. It scurried across the floor and started up the wall. 

"What's that then?"

"Is it retro?" she asked.

"Nah, don't think so." He aimed the sonic at it and it fell at his feet, its metal legs curled underneath. "Let's see whose been bringing the pets on board."

"What does it do?" Reinette asked, crowding close.

"Sabotage," he said shortly. 

"Earth Death in 20 minutes. Earth Death in 20 minutes."

"And the temperatures about to rocket. Come on then!"

He took off back the way they came, Reinette following close behind. His mind was full of all sorts of ideas about who had brought the spiders on board and for what purpose, but there was a tiny part in the far corner that wondered where Rose was and why the feeling of trepidation he had about her was rising steadily.

As they gained the main hall, the strains of an Old Earth song piped out of the speakers and Theta shook his head. He would never understand humans, or part humans, and their music tastes. He had to admit the song was catchy, but probably not what he would have chosen to mourn the end of Earth.

They rounded a corner to the smell of smoke and a bunch of the small Crespallions crowded around a closed door. 

"Get back!" he called, using the sonic to scan the keypad entry. 

"The Steward's in there," Reinette shrieked.

"You can smell him," Theta said darkly. 

The computer announced the sun filter was rising as he scanned. There was another program behind the first, a coded one, and it was fighting against him. He jumped across the doorway to the interface, flipping settings on the sonic in desperation.

"Anyone in there?" he shouted. 

There was no response and his heart rate settled somewhat.

"We have to warn everyone!" Reinette said, tugging his arm. 

Theta frowned but allowed himself to be pulled back towards the main area of guests. Everyone mobbed them and Theta watched Reinette pull out a small computer in one hand and the metal spider in the other. He glanced around and his stomach dropped when he realized Rose was not present.

"The computer confirms it," Reinette announced. "The spiders have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How is that possible?" Cassandra asked breathily. "Our private rooms are protected by the peace treaty."

"I'll show you how it's possible," Theta said, reaching over and plucking the spider from Reinette.

"Summon the Steward!" someone called.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Reinette replied. 

He scanned the spider and it came to life, listening to the sounds of fear around him as people digested this news. Theories were thrown out about who was responsible, everyone accusing everyone else.

"Easy way of finding out who it was," Theta said loudly. Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Someone brought the little pets on board."

He set the spider down and it scuttled in a circle, confused, and then scampered across the floor towards Cassandra. She looked nervous, guilty almost, and then the spider suddenly switched directions. It stopped in front of the black cloaks of the Repeated Meme.

"The Adherence of the Repeated Meme!" Cassandra cried. "Guards!"

"That's all well and good," Theta interrupted, stalking over to the cloaked figures. "And rather obvious."

The one in front of him swung out as if to punch him and Theta grabbed the fist, wanking backwards. It detached itself, showing a lot of wires hanging out. There were gasps from the crowd.

"A meme is just an idea. And that's all these are. Ideas."

He grabbed a wire and pulled sharply. All of the figures collapsed onto the floor. Theta nudged the spider with his foot.

"Go on then. Go find your real owner."

This time the spider went straight to Cassandra and stopped.

"At arms!" Cassandra called and her two attendants focused their hoses on him.

"What are you going to do?" Theta taunted. "Moisturize me?"

"With acid!" Cassandra said nastily. "You're too late anyway. My little spiders are all through the mainframe. You all carried them as gifts. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside? How stupid is that!" he exclaimed.

"There was meant to be a hostage situation," Cassandra explained. "With myself as one of the hostages. The compensation would have been enormous."

"Always comes down to money, doesn't it!" Theta interjected.

"It's not cheap looking this good!" Cassandra exclaimed. "I'm the last human. Me. Not that freak of a kid you've got with you."

Theta glared at her and then glanced around again, hoping to see Rose. But no sight of his precious girl was there to be had.

"Arrest her!" someone cried.

"Earth Death in eight minutes. Earth Death in eight minutes."

"I still have one more option!" Cassandra announced. "I have shares in all of your rival companies. My spiders are ready to destroy the safety systems."

"You'll burn with us!" Theta declared.

"Oh I don't think so! I know teleportation systems are prohibited, but I'm a rebel at heart," she giggled. "Spiders activate!"

A second later the whole place shook, harder this time and sparks rained from the lights. With a flash of light, Cassandra and her attendants vanished.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising," the computer's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Reset the computer!" a voice yelled.

"Only the Steward would know how," Reinette argued.

"No, we can do it by hand; there must be a system restore switch." He turned back towards the door. "Come on!"

They raced back towards the engine room and this time they were moving too quickly for Reinette to engage him in conversation. His mind was a constant litany of "Rose" and "Emergency" and he hardly could focus on one or the other.

They reached the engine room in record time and the heat was intense as they stared at the fans. Theta spotted the switch at once, at the far end of the whirling sharp metal blades.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."

"Yes, thank you!" Theta exclaimed grumpily.

He pulled a panel off the wall to reveal a lever underneath. Yanking it downwards, the fans creaked slower and slower and then stopped. The moment he released it the fans sped up again. 

"You hold it!" he hollered at Reinette and her eyes went wide. 

"I don't know if I'm strong enough." She backed away from him. "How about you give me the sonic thing and I'll go reset the switch."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Theta glared at her, desperately wishing she was Rose. "It's not like you're made of wood! You won't burn! Your make-up will run, but you'll live!"

"Fine!" she rolled her eyes at him. "But first!"

She stepped forward and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. Before he could think, her lips were on his, kissing him hard. All of his senses were screaming that this wasn't right; she wasn't Rose and he recoiled in a moment, shoving her away from him, and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"What'd you do that for?" he sputtered.

"Earth death in three minutes. Earth death in three minutes."

"Never mind!" he interrupted himself. "Pull the damn lever."

It seemed to take an age for the fans to slow down and finally creak to a halt and then he raced through them, his sonic already out. The heat in the room was intense as he scanned the switch. It took longer than he had anticipated for it to finally give beneath his ministrations, but at length he heard the click and knew the system had reset. 

Immediately the room seemed cooler and he ran back through the fans, never pausing to make sure Reinette was behind him. The only thought in his mind was to find out what happened to Rose and to find out now.

His pounding footsteps took him to the entry of the room in which the TARDIS had originally landed. When he tried the door, it didn't open under his hand.

"Help!" A familiar voice sounded and he felt both of his hearts momentarily stop.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Is that you?"

"Theta?" she called. "Get me out!"

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

"No!" he yelled, his hand shaking as he fought the program. Apparently there were still some residual effects of Cassandra's spiders. He was determined to enact his revenge against the bitchy trampoline just as soon as he had his Rose again.

"Let me out!" Rose yelled, pounding against the door.

He could hear the terror in her voice and his stomach clenched. They hadn't come all this way just to lose her because of some stupid computer virus. 

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."

He breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

"Ahh," he cried in frustration. "It's fighting back!"

"Theta!" Rose screamed.

"It'll be okay, Rose! Get down!"

The knocking stopped and he heard her footsteps retreat. He redoubled his attention on the interface, determined to beat it. The computer alternately announced the sun filter was rising and descending depending on the moment. He used his fear to give him the strength to rip the panel off the wall, exposing the wires underneath. He used the sonic to fight the virus on the interface as he felt around for the wire he knew was attached to the door. At last he found it and yanked hard, sparks flying as it came loose.

With a satisfying swish the door slid open and stayed that way and a blinding ray of light spilled into the hall. He focused all of his attention on the interface and at last he heard the computer announce the sun filter was rising. 

"Now Rose!" he yelled and a second later she was out of the door and in his arms.

He clung to her, swinging her a little, and burying his face in her hair, breathing in the scent that was indelibly Rose. Her hands were locked tight around his neck and he pressed his lips to her head. She lifted her head and met his lips, kissing him hard. As soon as her lips met his, her consciousness exploded in his mind. He pulled back and met her look of shock.

There was no time to explore what had happened because the computer was announcing that the earth had died and it was time for dinner and dancing in the Lounge and they realized they still had some unfinished business. He released her and she stepped back. Catching her hand he grinned down at her.

"Run?" he asked and was relieved when she grinned back.

"Run!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they finish up that adventure

Rose clung to Theta's hand as they ran back up the hallway. It was such a relief to feel him in her mind again that she almost felt like crying. She opened her mind to let him see what had happened to her.

She had confronted Cassandra about the "last human on earth" bit of nonsense and the two had had a rousing argument - pseudo conversation, about it. The conversation had ended with her thinking Cassandra was one of the most hateful, obnoxious, stuck-up creatures she had ever met. All that talk about purity of bloodlines left Rose feeling more than a little nauseated. Afterwards she had gone to walk the halls and hopefully run into Raffalo again; they, at least, had been the friendliest person she had met yet, instead she remembered running into the black cloaked figures and then...nothing.

When she had woken up she had been back on the observation deck where they had arrived. Try as she might she couldn't draw attention to herself, even as the heat in the room had begun to rise and the pane of glass had started to crack, until finally she had heard Theta outside the door and he had rescued her.

All of this flitted through her mind and into his in a moment. In return she could sense what had happened to him. She felt anger towards Reinette about the inappropriateness of her behavior towards Theta and relief that Theta hadn't seemed to notice or care for the woman's affections. She wondered about her and Theta's lack of a connection up until this point and she could tell he was wondering the same thing but there was no time to talk for they had re-entered the main hall.

It was obvious that the rising heat had done damage here. There were multiple casualties throughout the room and everyone was in an uproar.

"Are you okay?" Reinette materialized in front of them and Rose gave her a dark look.

"Fine," Theta responded. "I'm full of ideas, bristling with them. Idea number one: teleportation through space needs some sort of feed. Idea number two: this feed must be nearby."

He dropped Rose's hand and stalked over to where Cassandra's ostrich egg was laying on a stand. He cracked it against the table and snatched the metal device hidden inside.

"Idea number three: if you're as clever as me than a teleportation feed can be reversed." 

Theta manipulated the device and Cassandra's voice filled the room, followed a moment later by her stretch of skin. She stared at them in shock while her voice trailed off.

"Welcome back," Rose said.

"Oh bravo! You passed my little test," Cassandra chortled.

"People have died, Cassandra," Theta interrupted. "You murdered them."

"Really depends on your definition of people," Cassandra disagreed. "That little technicality will keep the lawyers busy for centuries to come. Don't you know that debating who is a "people" is everyone's favorite pastime? Alright then, take me away!"

Her voice fluttered on, but it was accompanied by a creaking sound and her skin began to stretch and move in its frame. The heat in the room hadn't dropped back to its normal comfortable temperatures and it was clearly doing damage to Cassandra's paper thin skin.

"Watch me smile and flutter and make everyone love me!" Cassandra was saying.

"And creak?" Rose asked. "You're creaking."

"What? No! I'm drying out!" Cassandra cried in alarm. "Moisturize me!"

"You raised the temperature," Theta said. "And it takes awhile for it to stabilize."

Cassandra's skin continued to expand and contract, wrinkles appearing rapidly over the surface, and an obvious strained note came into her voice. Rose stared at Cassandra, sympathy filling her suddenly for the ridiculous creature.

She stepped forward and picked up Theta's hand, threading their fingers together. "Are you going to have pity on her?"

Theta looked down at her with a small smile, but his eyes were hard. "Not this time, Rose. Everything has its time, everything dies."

A moment later the skin cracked and exploded, bits flying in all directions and Rose jerked backwards out of the way. Theta turned away from the spectacle and wrapped his arms around her. Rose rested her face against his chest and just breathed. They stood that way for awhile, the sounds of alarm and worry fading away and the two of them simply being together.

After awhile they separated and in silent agreement turned towards the exit. As they reached the doorway, Reinette stepped out of the crowd. Rose bristled and tightened her grip on Theta's hand.

"I didn't realize you were with her, Theta," Reinette said and Rose raised an eyebrow. "You seemed like such a lonely angel and..."

"Alright enough," Rose interrupted. "He's not a lonely angel or anything else like that. He's no angel and he's not alone. He's got me and I'm never leaving him."

Reinette took a step back and surveyed them with shock. "Oh! You're bonded. I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"You saw what you wanted to see," Theta said. "And now you'll see the last of us."

Rose grinned at that and she and Theta exited the Hall together. They walked down the corridor in silence, content to just be together and feel each other's presence. The TARDIS was back in the spot in which they had parked it, but Roses's attention was arrested by the window.

She walked towards it slowly and Theta came with her. Outside the planet was obliterated and in its place was a fiery ball with large rocks and bits of debris floating and spinning in the burning sphere. 

"It's gone. And we were too busy saving ourselves, no one saw it go," she said, her voice breaking. "All those years, all that history and no one was even looking."

Theta let go of her hand and moved to stand behind her, pulling her back to rest against him. His hands rested on her stomach, holding her firmly. She leaned her head back against his chest and watched the burning planet.

"They thought it would last forever, but it won't," he said. "Nothing ever does. One day it's all gone, even the sky.

"You know my planet burned," he went on. "It's just rocks and dust now, gone before its time. Cassandra thought she was the last human, but I really am the last Time Lord. Everyone else is all gone. Burned up with the planet."

Rose stared out at the orange glow and listened to his voice reverberate through his frame. She felt the pain of the words echo through her mind.

"I know why you brought me here, but you're not alone though, Theta," she murmured. "You've got me. And we might not last forever, but we'll last an awfully long time. And that's a good thing, yeah?"

In answer she felt him press a kiss to the crown of her head and they stood together and watched the planet burn for a long, long time.

Eventually they disentangled and slowly made their way back to the TARDIS. Theta went to the console and hit a switch and the TARDIS shook a little and then stabilized. 

"Where are we?" she asked, leaning against a pillar.

He smiled at her and walked down the ramp and pushed open the door. Rose followed him and gasped as she caught sight of the view through the doors. 

"What is it?" she breathed.

"We're suspended in space," Theta explained, sitting down in the doorway and letting his feet dangle into space. "And that's a supernova."

Rose dropped down next to him, using his body to steady herself as she peered over the edge. Below her was a swathe of stars against blackness and directly in front of them were the most brilliant colors she had ever seen.

"What is it though?" she repeated.

"A transient astronomical event that occurs during the last stages of a massive star's life," Theta explained. "Its dramatic and catastrophic destruction is marked by one final explosion. This causes the sudden appearance of a new bright star, before slowly fading from sight over several weeks or months."

"Mmhmm," Rose nodded. "That's exactly what I thought it was."

Theta laughed and wrapped his arm around her. Rose shifted so she was sitting sideways across the doorway, her head resting on his chest, and her feet planted against the frame. It was peaceful here, enjoying the brilliant hues as they circled and danced among the stars. She had a feeling they had things they should talk about, but it was nice to sit here and not have to use words.

Her growling stomach interrupted the moment and they both laughed. Theta closed the doors and set a lock on the TARDIS so it stayed where they were and then the two of them made their way to the kitchen. This time it was the door across the hall and Rose narrowed her eyes as she crossed the threshold.

"It definitely wasn't here this morning," she pointed out.

"Nah," Theta agreed. "It wouldn't be. The TARDIS does her best to put rooms she knows you want where you can find them easily when you need them. Sometimes she's ornery and she sticks my bedroom far away when she's mad at me after a particular adventure."

Rose laughed and patted the walls, enjoying the TARDIS more and more every time she learned something new. 

For all his whining about not being domestic, Theta was a fair hand in the kitchen and it wasn't long before they had scraped up a decent meal consisting of soup and bread and various cheeses. They took it back to the console room and enjoyed it while watching the supernova continue to burn.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is smut in response to previous events (basically another chapter of PWP) (warning for very light bdsm)

"So your first adventure in time and space," Theta said when they had finished eating and they were again snuggled together. "What did you think?"

"Yeah, it was definitely an adventure," Rose agreed. "But not more scary than the train. Coulda done without Reinette though."

He nodded. "I didn't want her to kiss me, Rose. It all happened so fast."

"Oh, I know," she smiled, pressing a kiss to his sternum. "We can work on what to do when strange women kiss you later."

"It won't happen again, you don't think?" He looked concerned.

"Well," Rose stretched the word out and looked up at him, considering. "I mean, you're very handsome."

She ran her hand across his brow and down the side of his cheek, sweeping the pad of her thumb across his lips. He stared down at her, his mouth closing over her thumb and sucking on it lightly, teasing it with his tongue. 

"I can see why someone would want to take advantage of all this," Rose said. "That's all I'm saying."

"Pity about the ears though," he said, releasing her thumb. 

"Mmm," Rose tilted her head as she looked at him. "I dunno. I kinda like the ears. Very distinctive."

He wrinkled his brow and she giggled at him. It was true, she couldn't imagine him looking any other way. This face was a bit daft maybe, but it belonged to a man that she loved with all of her being and she found him very attractive. 

She wiggled out of his arms and flipped over so she was on her knees beside him, her hands already working his belt and zip. It didn't take her long to free his cock and she grinned when she held it in her hands. 

"I also happen to really enjoy this," she said, smirking up at him. "I think about it a lot, you know.

"Do you?" he asked, his voice a bit of a squeak as she massaged him. 

"Mmmm," she intoned. "I know you have that bottle of lube somewhere around here."

Theta stuck his hand in his pocket and retrieved the bottle. 

"Thought you wouldn't have that far away," she teased him, pouring a generous amount in her hand.

Rose stroked his cock, using her fist to massage as she worked her hand up and down. From this angle, it was easiest to stroke him with her thumb at the end, using it to swipe over the tip every so often. It didn't take him long to grow under her hand and she smiled as she watched him. 

She took her time, pacing the movement of her hand, never quite firmly enough to give him what he needed, but not light enough to make him lose interest. Occasionally she added a twist to her rhythm, enjoying the grunt he would emit when she did. She liked him here - at her mercy, his eyes on her like she was his goddess come to life. 

It didn't take long for her to feel the heat growing between her legs and she squeezed her thighs together. She saw his nostrils flare and she smiled, knowing he sensed her arousal. 

"Do you want to taste me?" she asked, keeping her voice pitched low.

He nodded eagerly and she squeezed him a little harder and then released him, his whine at the loss giving her the courage to keep the game going. 

"You'll have to do what I say then," she said. "Especially if you want to come. Can you do that?"

She was a little bit shocked at her courage, but she had a feeling it was coming from a combination of the adrenaline of the day and Theta's own fantasies. She could feel her knickers growing damp with want and knew the scenario was working for her as well. 

He nodded again.

"I can't hear you, Theta."

"Yes, Rose," he murmured, instantly contrite.

"You're mine and I want you to remember that," she told him, pushing herself to her feet.

She toed off her shoes and socks immediately and then slowed down to take her time with the rest of it. Sliding her jacket zipper down bit by bit, she made sure his eyes were trained on her every move.

"No one else gets to kiss you," she said. "No one. You got that?"

"Yes, Rose."

She let the jacket drop to the floor and reached for the waistband of her jeans. It took a little bit of work to remove them, but it involved some wigglings that Theta seemed to thoroughly enjoy, his hands drifting towards his cock.

"Uh-uh," she corrected, her hands on the hem of her shirt. "That's for me only tonight. Right now you just watch."

His eyes grew wide, but he moved his hands back to the floor. 

"Much better." She pulled her shirt over her head and enjoyed the way his eyes grew large at the sight of her breasts. "If you choose not to listen, you'll end up just watching me and I won't let you get off at all."

"Yes, Rose," he said, unprompted.

She nodded approvingly, smoothing her hands down her body, letting her fingers dance over her breasts and settle on her hips. She started to ease down her knickers and then changed her mind, letting them snap back in space, and ignoring his sigh of disappointment.

"You know, I don't think this is fair. Here I am mostly naked and you're fully dressed." She gestured at his form. "If someone were to come along, I wouldn't like that."

He looked back towards the open doorway that led into space and then back at her, confusion wrinkling his brow.

"Oh, I know, no one else is here." She shrugged. "But just in case, I need you to strip."

He nodded rapidly and pushed his jacket off his shoulders, his jumper and vest top hitting the floor in rapid succession and Rose leaned against the pillar and enjoyed the show. It took some awkward maneuvering for him to remove his jeans and pants, especially with his alert cock. Rose watched him with amusement, her right hand rubbing absently against her core through her knickers. 

When he stood before her completely nude, she walked around him, making a show of inspecting his body. She ran her fingers lightly across his chest and shoulders and then down his back. She loved how his bum looked and she didn't even try to resist placing both hands on it and squeezing. She felt more than heard the grunt he let loose when she did that, so she did it again and this time there was no mistaking his interest. Stepping forward she snaked her arms around him, wrapping her hands around his cock and grinding her core against his bum. 

"Remember," she whispered, feeling him arch into her hand. "If you come too early, you just have to watch for the rest of the night."

He nodded frantically.

"Can't hear you," she reminded him.

"Yes, Rose," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Better."

She worked him lazily, loving the moans of pure desire he was releasing. She knew he had an iron will, but she wasn't willing to press him that hard tonight. After all she really wanted him inside of her at some point. Some other time she would push him to the breaking point. Releasing him reluctantly, she stepped backwards, unable to resist giving his bum a light smack as she moved to his front.

His eyes were glassy with want and his mouth was open as his head turned to catch a glimpse of her. She smirked at him and lowered herself to the ground, sliding her knickers off as she did so. Spreading her legs, she lifted her knees and used her hands to spread open her inner walls. He made a needy noise and an aborted movement towards her.

"Like what you see, Time Lord?" she asked, sliding her fingers through her wetness.

"Yes, Rose," he groaned.

"Want to taste?"

"Yes, Rose."

"You gonna kiss any other women?"

"No, Rose."

She tilted her head to the side, pretending to consider her options. She'd enjoyed many views of her bondmate, but this right her, his whole body arching towards her, his eyes wide and dilated, his breathing hard, his very cock straining for her; this was the most beautiful.

"Alright." She leaned backwards, resting her shoulders against the pillar. "Come and get it."

He dropped to his knees so fast, Rose was almost concerned he'd hurt himself. Placing his hands on her thighs, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss just above her center and Rose moaned at the contact. The first stripe of his tongue was almost enough to hurtle her into oblivion and she dug her fingers into his shoulders to avoid it.

He was clearly eager to bring her to completion, lapping at her center and then going up to lightly suck at her clit and then swirling his tongue in wide circles before repeating the process. Each time he returned to her center, his tongue delved deeper and deeper, his nose pressed into her. It didn't take long before she was arching into him, loud moans falling from her lips.

The cool air coming in brushed against her skin, setting every nerve ending on fire, and she released one hand from Theta's shoulder to catch her own nipple, twisting and rolling it as Theta lightly scraped his teeth against her skin before sucking hard on her clit. It was what she needed to send her vaulting over the edge and she screamed, her voice echoing through the room and out into space.

When she could breathe, she opened her eyes to find him sitting back on his haunches, watching her. She reached out for his hand and he gave it to her, pulling her upwards to face him. 

"I see you kept your promise," she said, running her index finger down the ridge of his dripping cock.

"Yes, Rose."

"Good," she nodded approvingly. "Almost time for your reward; you just have to hang on for a little bit longer. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Rose," he said, his voice shaking.

She leaned forward and enveloped him in her mouth, swirling her tongue around him. 

"Rose!" his panicked shout sounded above her, his fingers scrabbling for purchase on her skin.

She took pity on him and pulled back slowly, releasing him with an audible pop. 

"Some other time then," she said, looking at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he said, his voice breaking.

"It's okay." She leaned forward and kissed him hard, tasting her own juices on his lips and tongue. "You did your best for me, yeah?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, Rose."

"Then I think it's time for your reward."

She pressed his shoulders and he moved his legs, leaning backwards until he was lying down. Straightening up she crept forward until she was poised over his cock. She thought about making him wait for it, but one look at the desperation on his face and she took pity on him; she had pushed him hard tonight.

Gripping his cock, she guided it into her body, sliding down until she was entirely sheathed in him. She knew it wouldn't take him long, indeed his whole body was trembling, and so she leaned backwards, making sure he was hitting her sweet spot. She didn't start slowly, instead she set up a punishing rhythm immediately, rising off of him and slamming back down. His hips rose to meet her every time and it didn't take more than a few times before she felt him freeze and then his body shook with the force of his climax.

Rose continued moving, using his cock to find her own pleasure, and milking the rest of his orgasm. A moment later her voice intermingled with his and she collapsed forward, boneless, onto his chest. She could feel Theta's hands stroking the skin of her back and she closed her eyes, sinking into him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they try not to travel in time and space

The sound of the sonic screwdriver woke Rose up and she growled as she rolled over to see where the noise was coming from. She was a little surprised to find Theta seated at a desk in the corner of the room, happily tinkering away. The desk was covered in a mass of wires, bits of metal, and various nuts, bolts, and screws. 

Theta grinned at her. "You slept for a long time; almost twelve hours."

"Was worn out," she murmured, rolling her eyes at his smirk.

She curled around the pillows and watched him work.

"What are you making?"

"Found an old vortex manipulator," he said, holding up some bits of tech. "Figured I'd get it working again."

Rose's stomach rolled in protest at the words. "What for? We're traveling by TARDIS from now on, yeah?"

"Yeah, but you never know when this could come in handy. Worth something in the war, you know."

Rose hummed in agreement. "What's our plan for today then?"

"Dunno. Could set our coordinates for another place in time and space; could go check in on Suki."

Rose untwisted the sheet from her legs, sending a silent thanks to the TARDIS for the silky feel of them - they felt wonderful against her still naked body. 

"Probably should do that. Make sure Adam hasn't gotten up to any more shenanigans."

"Shenanigans?" He looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh-huh," Rose yawned. "Seemed appropriate for the circumstances."

Theta shrugged and went back to his vortex manipulator. Rose pushed herself out of bed, stretching languidly as she stood up, feeling the aches and pains of the last day and a half, or longer, come to that. As she padded to the en suite, she stopped to drop a kiss on the top of Theta's head. 

"Want to join?" she murmured and chuckled when he dropped both the sonic and the wires he was holding as if they had burned him.

It took Rose a long time to actually get clean after that, but she found it was worth it, especially when he reminded her what a talented tongue he had. 

"Reminds me," Rose panted as he lifted her up, her arms around his waist. "About last night. Too much?"

Theta stopped to think and Rose groaned with the delay. 

"Nope," he said, punctuating his declaration by sliding home. "I loved it. Pretty sure you did too."

"Did," she agreed, her nails digging into his skin. "Didn't want to do something you weren't, ah, comfortable with."

Despite the slippery surface on which they stood, Theta seemed to be having no trouble maintaining his balance or his rhythm. "Can't do that, really."

"What?" Rose asked, losing track of the conversation.

"Do something I'm not comfortable with," he explained, grunting a little with effort. "You would know if I didn't. Up here." He nodded his head for emphasis.

"Right," Rose said. "That's nice. Doesn't always work though."

"What?" he asked, his hips picking up speed. 

"All the time. The, ah, telepathy, ooooh."

For a time there was no talking and the air was filled with only the sounds of their quickening pleasure. Afterward when they were both drying off and Rose was rummaging for clothes and Theta was pulling on his jeans and jumper, Rose tried again.

"The telepathy didn't work on Platform One, you know. Was it something in the force fields?"

Theta paused in the process of pulling his jumper over his head. "Don't think so. There was nothing that should interfere with bonded couples."

"Cause I didn't feel you at all." Rose buttoned her jeans and reached to pick up her shoes and socks. "And I don't think you could feel me."

"I couldn't," he agreed shortly. 

"Theta?" she said, dropping the items back on the floor and going over to him. "What's going on?"

He continued lacing his boots without answering and Rose waited until he was done before resting one hand on his cheek. "I'm not leaving you."

He grunted in response.

"I'm not. I saw what you were thinking, felt it rather. And I'm not leaving."

He turned into her hand, pressing a kiss to the palm. "I know."

"Then what?"

Theta stared up at her, his eyes clouded, and then they cleared. "It's probably nothing! Come on, let's go get breakfast and then set our coordinates for Berkshyre."

Rose watched him pull away from her, biting her lower lip in indecision. She didn't want to push him, but she had a feeling that something more was actually going on. Somehow she knew this wasn't the right time to pursue the matter.

Grabbing her shoes and socks, Rose followed Theta to the kitchen. It wasn't long before they had a proper breakfast on the table and they ate in relatively comfortable silence. They dropped the dishes in the sink with a promise to wash them later and headed for the console room.

Theta was a bundle of energy, whirling around like a man possessed and Rose wondered what they were running from. It took him a little while to put them into flight, but eventually the time rotor lit up and they were moving.

She settled on the jumpseat and watched him; there was something almost manic about him as he smacked the console with a mallet, spun a dial here, flipped a switch there, and scrolled through settings on the monitors. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her, but try as she might she couldn't access it in his mind. It was clear he had constructed a locked room and her stomach churned as she considered what that meant for the two of them.

They landed before she had time to get too worked up and she pasted on a smile as he held out his hand towards her.

"We should be a few minutes walk from Berkshyre," he said, pulling open the doors of the TARDIS. "Ah."

Rose narrowed her eyes at his sound of confusion and followed him through only to stop short at the sight of a whole group of people mounted on horseback facing them. Several people had weapons trained on them and Rose followed Theta's lead and put her hands up.

"You will explain your presence," one of the men commanded.

"I'm Theta and this is Rose Tyler, from Blaidd Drwg. I have my credentials, if I may," he said, pulling the psychic paper from his paper and holding it towards the man. 

The man pursed his lips, but a woman's voice sounded from mid-column, "Let them approach."

"Don't think that's wise."

"Reynolds, let them approach."

Reynolds tipped his hat and gestured behind him. "All due respect will be shown."

Theta and Rose nodded and walked towards the middle of the group. The woman they were meant to speak to had shoulder length brown hair and was dressed in practical riding attire, a cloak on her shoulders as protection against the nippy wind. She was seated on a pure white stallion and her face was kind. 

"Harriet Jones, Governor of New Earth," she said, holding up a paper very similar to Theta's psychic paper. 

"I know who you are ma'am," Theta said with a grin. "First governor of New Earth, came over on the first ships, and the first human after the researchers to set foot on the ground.

Rose's mouth dropped open. She remembered learning about Harriet Jones in school, her time as governor had been the most peaceful time New Earth had seen, and there were shrines to her everywhere. 

"Good to meet you, ma'am," Rose said.

"And you," Harriet said warmly. "Now you Theta, let me see those credentials."

Theta held out his psychic paper and Harriet took her time examining them. "Why it says here that you are a Doctor, why didn't you mention that?"

"Does it?" Theta started and then stopped when Rose elbowed him. "I mean, it does, yeah."

"Well this is wonderful luck, I have a shortage of doctors in my company."

"Fantastic," Theta grinned. "Well, then let me ask you, why are you traveling on the open road like this?"

"We're traveling from Cardyff further south, looking for a place to set up the capital. I've heard rumors that the land down here is ideal," Harriet explained.

"It is," Rose responded, before she thought.

"I thought you were from Blaidd Drwg," Harriet said, looking at Rose sharply.

"We are," Theta cut in. "But Rose and I like to travel and we've been all over this area."

"Well, excellent," Harriet said. "You'll be just the thing for our party. We've some extra horses back there you can use, since you appear not to have your own. We'll be stopping soon for the night; I've sent word ahead and there is a house that belongs to a trusted couple not more than a half an hour from here."

Theta and Rose nodded, stepping back. A moment later Reynolds came by, holding a horse by its bridle. Theta hoisted himself up and offered a hand for Rose. She clambered up behind him and wrapped her hands around his waist.

"Ever ridden before?" Theta asked as he set the horse into motion.

"No," Rose said. "You?"

"A bit."

I'm surprised they still use horses," she observed. "We must be really early First Century, like not even ten years in. When was Londyn started?"

"Erm, 15, maybe?" Theta guessed.

"Wow, for a time traveler you don't seem to up on time," Rose teased. "So glad I have you."

"I bet you are!" he said with a sound of contentment.

Rose rolled her eyes and concentrated on the scenery. The lack of salt in the air and the dense trees in the distance told her they were definitely pretty far inland and the scrub grass suggested not far from where modern day Londyn stood. 

The trip took a little longer than the thirty minutes Harriet had predicted and it was dusk when they finally arrived at their destination. The house, if one could use such a descriptor for the gargantuan building was nicer than anything Rose had seen in her travels through New Earth yet. 

"Are you sure this is early 1st?" she whispered. 

"Has to be," he whispered back. "No Londyn yet."

She shook her head as she stared at the building. It was several stories tall, made of dark stone with a high wall surrounding it. Several outbuildings dotted the land surrounding it and it was an imposing force against the darkening sky.

The man of the house seemed a trifle nervous, but Harriet took no notice, greeting him warmly as "Sir Robert" and waving off his attempts at getting them to go further. 

"Nonsense," she said. "Where else would we go?"

Sir Robert evidently had no response to that and a moment later the whole party was moving towards the door. As Rose made to follow them, the world seemed to spin and she grabbed Theta's jacket to avoid collapsing.

"Rose?" His voice seemed to come from far away.

She forced her eyes open against the horrific dizziness and was relieved when the colors slowed and everything sorted itself out. "M'fine. Just tired. Maybe dehydrated."

Theta didn't look convinced, but didn't protest, his hand gentle as he led her into the house. No sooner had she crossed the threshold than the dizziness returned and this time she couldn't stop her sharp cry as she sagged sideways into Theta.

She felt him sweep her into his arms and call for their host, but she couldn't summon the strength to open her eyes. Through a pounding head she felt Theta move through the house and she could hear him murmuring soft nonsense to her. 

A moment later she felt him lay her down on a soft bed. When she felt him help her into a sitting position, she struggled to comply. 

"Here's some tea," he murmured. "Drink a little now; it'll help you feel better." 

She opened her eyes a slit to see his concerned face filling her gaze. Her stomach felt nauseous, but she took a few sips of tea and then turned her face away.

"Okay, love; you rest now." 

His voice was soothing and she was suddenly so very tired. She burrowed a little further into the soft mattress and gave in to the darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they face danger

When Rose woke her room was dark and still. In fact, if she listened hard she couldn't hear anything at all, not a clock, not the wind, not even (and her heart dropped), Theta. It seemed that whatever had interrupted their connection on Platform One had returned. 

Her head felt better and she was no longer certain she was going to be sick at any moment so she slowly pushed back the covers and stood up. A small candle was burning on the bedside stand, but it hardly pierced the darkness. 

It was chilly in the room and Rose snagged her jacket off a nearby chair. She needed something more to stave off the shivers currently racking her body so she went over to the closet and pulled it open, barely suppressing a scream.

There was a person inside. A girl around her own age, whose features stood out starkly in her pale face and who hardly made a sound as she stared out at Rose.

"Okay!" Rose said brightly. "It's okay. Come out and tell me why you're scared."

It took some talking to convince the girl to exit the closet and sit on the bed with Rose. Her eyes were wide and she kept glancing around her while she talked. 

She explained that strange men had arrived at the house a few short hours ago, locking all the servants and the lady of the house in the pantry. 

"Listen," Rose said, taking her hand. "I've got a...partner. He's called Theta and he'll know what to do. You've got to come with me."

"I can't!" she resisted tearfully.

"What's your name?"

"Flora."

"Flora, we'll be safe. More people have arrived downstairs," Rose smiled at her reassuringly. "Soldiers and everything. We'll go find Theta and he'll help us."

It took a bit more talking, but Flora eventually allowed herself to be led from the room. The hall outside was lit with torches set in sconces at intervals and Rose gave another little gasp. A bit further down one of the soldiers from Harriet's party was lying passed out on the floor. Hurrying over, she dropped down next to him, pressing two fingers to the side of his neck.

"I warned you!" Flora cried. "They'll kill us all."

"He's not dead," Rose told her. "Must have been drugged."

Hearing Flora's aborted scream she looked up in time to see a strange man grab the girl, one hand going over her mouth. Before Rose could protest, another man had grabbed her arm and thrown a hand over her own mouth. They were dragged through the halls and, at one point, Rose could see the main dining hall where Theta was seated with Harriet and Sir Robert enjoying a meal. She wanted to get their attention, but the man holding her had an iron grip and she couldn't make so much as a whisper of noise.

Railing against whatever force was preventing her and Theta from communicating telepathically, Rose gritted her teeth and determined to figure out her side of the adventure for herself.

The room they were taken to was damp and cold. There were about ten people seated on the floor: the various household folks as well as the lady of the house. They were all tied to a long heavy chain bolted to the wall and the men wasted no time in attaching Rose and Flora to the same chain.

In the center of the room, not five paces from the group, was a large cage. Inside sat a figure in a dark cloak. It looked almost human with a pale face and though its head was down and its eyes were closed, there was something about its outline that gave Rose the shivers. 

As soon as the men left, a woman dressed in such fancy clothes that she had to be the lady of the house turned to them, talking in a shaky whisper. 

"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout he'll slaughter us."

"He's in a cage," Rose whispered back. "He's a prisoner, just like us."

"He's nothing like us," she protested. "That creature isn't mortal."

Rose looked back at the cage. It looked solid enough with thick bars and it gave Rose some measure of comfort after the lady's warning words. As she watched, the face tilted back, a faint humming emanating from the creature. And then its eyes flew open and Rose repressed a gasp. Its eyes were pure black, no hint of iris or pupil. 

There was something pathetic about the creature and even though she could feel fear buzzing in her veins, she was determined to try to form some sort of communication. The other people crouched beside her warned her not to, but she stood up, inching a bit closer.

The chain didn't allow her to go more than a few steps and she stopped, stooping down and regarding the creature as equals.

"Who are you," she asked, her voice shaking. "Where are you from? You're not from this planet - nothing like you is mentioned in the histories."

"Ahhhhh, intelligence." The creatures voice was higher-pitched than Rose would have guessed. 

"Where were you born?" she tried again.

"This body - about five kilometers east. A sick boy with a weak heart, not destined to last long." The voice steadied and turned into a growl. "Taken by the brethren for my...needs. I carved out his heart and inhabited his soul."

"Alright," Rose said, wishing she didn't sound so frightened. "So the body is human. But about you. Where are you from?"

"So far from home."

"You can get back," Rose started. "We can help you."

"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of warfare. A new world ripe for the taking. I could turn it for my purpose."

"How, how would you do that?"

"I would migrate with the ruler."

"You mean Harriet Jones?" Rose asked, thinking of the kind soul enjoying a quiet meal upstairs.

"With one bite I would infect the bloodline of this world for an age." The creature's voice shook with intensity. "And then would begin the age of the wolf!"

Rose stared at him in shock. "This isn't a monarchy though. This world is run through elected officials. Don't you know that?"

"Many questions you have," he said. 

He hurled himself forward against the bars of the cage and Rose jerked backwards. The sound of his body weight hitting the cage made her think it wasn't as steady as she had first thought.

"Look!" he cried, his voice rising with intensity. "You'll see it too!"

"See what?"

"The wolf! There is something of the wolf about you!"

"I don't know what you mean." Rose shrunk away from him, determined not to show the fear that was coursing through her veins.

"You'll burn like the sun! But all I require is the moon!" His voice ended on a howl.

The doors at the far end of the room sprung open and two of the strange men stood in the doorway as moonlight suddenly lit up the place. The creature turned its body towards the edge of the cage, pressing its face to the bars, and seeming to drink in the moonlight. For a long time everything stayed frozen and Rose was aware of the pounding of her heart against her rib cage.

Then slowly the creature removed his cloak, revealing a near naked human form. A strange wind was blowing through the room and it ruffled Rose's hair as she stared. Whatever this creature was, and she was starting to get the idea she might know, it was about to turn into something deadly. 

Rousing the others, Rose screamed at them to pull. The bolt was thick and it felt hopeless, but it was definitely better than standing around waiting to be destroyed. It took some doing to convince the others to start moving, but at last they were all straining against the chain. 

Even as they moved the creature's body began to change. At first it was subtle, a rippling of the muscle and skin, and then it grew and grew, the whole body twisting and contorting in ways the human body was never designed to do. It screamed and it was accompanied by the sound of breaking bones that echoed horribly. And then, oh and then, the body was gone and in its place was a wolf. 

It was like no wolf Rose had ever seen. The body was elongated and covered with coarse-looking dark hairs. Its head was longer than a wolf and its eyes burned fierce. Its paws grew until they were more like a man's foot with sharp, deadly claws at the end. 

For a time it crouched there in its cage and then it turned his head to look at them. The crowd surged against the bolt and this time it loosed its hold on the wall and they stumbled backwards. Before they could regain their balance the door to the rest of the house burst open and Theta and Sir Robert barreled through.

Theta was brandishing the sonic and it took him but a few seconds to undo her wrists from the chain.

"Look at it!" he cried, pointing towards the wolf. "It's beautiful."

At that moment the creature slammed sideways and the cage splintered. 

"Not now!" Rose screamed.

Theta turned back and together he and Rose ushered everyone out of the room. They dashed out of the pantry and Theta soniced the door locked. A moment later they heard the wolf howl its glee to the moon. It was a chilling thing to hear and it made goosebumps rise on Rose's arms and the back of her neck.

The group made it a few steps down the hall and the Steward started handing out guns to some of the household folks. Sir Robert hugged his wife and then she and Flora and some others ran for the kitchen. Behind them they could hear the wolf pounding repeatedly on the locked door.

"Did it say what it wanted?" Theta asked her.

"Harriet. Something about bloodlines. It wants to run New Earth."

The sound of the breaking door interrupted them and they could hear the wolf's approach. The Steward and his men opened fire and the wolf fell back a bit and then kept advancing.

"We should retreat upstairs," Theta said.

"There's no creature on earth could survive such an assault," the Steward argued.

"It's not going to help!" Theta exclaimed. "Bullets won't stop it."

"I'll sleep better with that thing's hide is hanging on my wall!" the Steward announced.

A second later the wolf appeared, its jaws slamming down on the Steward in a spray of blood. The other men fired, but the bullets seemed to bounce off its hide and the wolf was on them in a moment.

"Quick!" Sir Robert yelled and led the way further in the house.

The three of them ran through the halls and into the foyer where they found Harriet making her way down the stairs.

"What is going on?" she demanded.

"The front doors been boarded shut," Sir Robert said, instead of answering. "We'll have to try for a window."

The four of them rushed to the side window. Sir Robert crawled onto the windowsill and opened the glass, but the air was suddenly filled with the sound of weapons firing from the wolf's guard.

"I think they want us to stay inside," Theta observed, more casually than the situation seemed to call for.

"Do they know who I am?" Harriet asked. "Perhaps if I introduce myself..."

"No," Rose laid a hand on her arm to halt her progress. "That's why they want you; the wolf wants to bite you."

"There can't be an actual wolf!" Harriet protested.

At that moment the wolf's howl seemed to echo from every crevice. The only way on was upstairs and so they bolted for the stairs. The very walls shook with the sound of their tramping footsteps and below them came the sound of splintering wood as the wolf broke through yet another door and began to ascend the stairs behind them.

The hall in front of them led straight on and Rose was sure she could feel the wolf's breath on her heels as she ran. She could see an open doorway in front of her and she was almost there when she lost her footing, landing hard on the floor. The wolf's growl was loud and she half-turned to see its slobbering jaws mere centimeters from her body.

The sound of a gunshot echoed and she looked up to see Reynolds firing his weapon. An instant later Theta was there, pulling her to her feet and into the library.

"The library can be boarded closed," Sir Robert hollered.

"Go!" Reynolds yelled. "I'll hold it off."

"Bullets don't stop it!" Theta said in desperation.

"I know, but it'll buy you some time."

With a nod at his sacrifice, Theta steered the rest of them into the Library and it was a tense few moments while everyone rushed to move chairs to barricade the doors. They could hear Reynolds scream as he was devoured and then the wolf approached. Everyone held their breath as they looked at one another; there was nowhere else to go, if the wolf got in it would be the end of them all.

Rose could hear the wolf breathing against the door and then its footsteps retreating. 

"What's this wood made of?" Theta asked, sniffing the wood. A symbol was carved into the door and he stroked it. "Mistletoe?" he asked, looking at Sir Robert for confirmation. "Whoever built this house was intelligent," he nodded approvingly.

"What was that?" Harriet demanded and they turned to look at her.

"A werewolf," Theta said.

Rose felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. She had known it - theoretically - but to hear the word spoken out loud was something entirely different.

"Now you stop it," Harriet protested, sinking down on a nearby chair.

"I'm not kidding," he reassured her. 

She did not look reassured at all, but merely pursed her lips when he explained that it was actually a "Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform." Rose listened as well, struggling to focus on what Theta was saying. The room seemed very bright and warm all of a sudden. 

"I'm just gonna..." she murmured and slumped sideways.

When she opened her eyes, it was to the sight of Theta's concerned visage. 

"This is getting to be a habit," she teased through dry lips. 

His expression didn't change, but he did wrap his arms around her for a long moment. She could feel his consciousness wrapping around her as he did so, a sharp fear flooding out of him. She wanted to ask him what he was afraid of, but knew this wasn't the time. He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and then released her, facing the others.

"Okay," he said, moving towards the bookshelves. "Everyone grab a book - even you Harriet. We're looking for anything that mentions something out of the ordinary."

"Doesn't really narrow it down," Harriet said tartly.

Theta shrugged and pulled a volume down for himself. Rose struggled to her feet and snagged a book for herself. It was hard to focus on the tiny words on the page - she still felt like the world was spinning slightly - and her connection with Theta was spinning as well. One moment it would be as strong as it was when they were newly bonded, the next it would be gone, and then it would be fuzzy before coming back into sharp focus.

In the end it was Theta who found a journal that described someone illegally bringing part of a star with them to the new planet. There was a description on how to use a telescope to harness the moon that Rose understood not at all.

Sir Robert seemed to and even Harriet pitched in. Rose forced herself to move around and help pass supplies as they increased the capacity of the telescope in the room with bits of metal and tech in Theta's pocket. Both Harriet and Sir Robert looked concerned when the sonic came out, but they said nothing. 

Above them they could see the wolf pacing on the glass above their heads. 

"He'll break through any moment," Theta said. 

He gave out instructions to Sir Robert and Harriet and they moved into position. When Theta got to Rose, he paused to pull her into a strong hug, finding her lips with his own. 

"I love you, precious girl," he murmured and then seemed to wrench himself away.

Rose watched him spring into motion, struggling hard against the nausea and darkness that were threatening to overpower her once more. 

When the roof finally broke, everything seemed to happen quickly. One moment the wolf was charging them and the next Theta had used the telescope to harness the moon and reflect it back on the creature. It seemed to rise above them like an angel, begging Theta to raise the power so it could return home.

Afterwards, when the wolf had disappeared and Sir Robert had reunited with his wife, Harriet walked Theta and Rose to the door. Her eyes were keen as she watched them.

"You've shown me today that there is more to my world than I had known," she said, her voice only shaking a little. "I will use this knowledge that you have given me to protect this new world from these forces for many generations to come."

Theta nodded. "That seems like a good idea. You'll be a fine governor and your legacy will last much longer than you know."

"You seem to know a lot about these things," Harriet said. "You could come and work for me."

"Oh no," Theta disagreed. "We have things to do, travels and such."

Rose smiled weakly, clinging to Theta's hand in an effort to remain upright. "You'll be so brilliant though, ma'am."

"Well, good luck on your adventures," she told them.

"And with you."

Theta and Rose turned from the courtyard and headed through the gate. As they passed through the arch, Rose caught sight of a sign on the outside. 

"Theta?" she said slowly. "Look!"

He turned in the direction she was pointing. There on the wall was a sign that proudly proclaimed that this was the "Torchwood Estate."


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they diagnose the problem and find solace in each other (here there be smut)

One of Harriet's men gave them a ride back to the TARDIS in the back of a wagon. Rose spent most of it curled up with her head in Theta's lap. She knew something was very wrong and she could tell that Theta knew it as well. His eyes were frightened when he looked at her and the bursts of his consciousness that were coming through were sharp with panic.

The man left them off where Theta indicated, around the corner from the TARDIS, and Theta carried Rose the remaining distance. She was much too weak to stand and she could only rest her head on his shoulder and breathe him in. Vaguely she realized she felt better when she was touching his skin and she pressed her face into the side of his neck.

Theta stopped only to hit the controls that would send them into the vortex before taking her to the med bay. She had seen the room briefly during her exploration of the TARDIS only a few days prior, but being here like this was a very different thing. Now the gleaming surfaces seemed somehow frightening.

He laid her carefully down on the table in the middle of the room and she flinched away from the cold surface.

"It'll be alright, love," he murmured. "Only a few minutes. Just need to run some tests."

Rose tried to follow his movements, but her head felt as if it would split in two any moment and so she closed her eyes, tracking him by sound. She could hear him hooking up machinery and fussing with wires. His sonic buzzed by her head every so often and she felt him attach something to her temples.

After awhile he lifted her up to sip something bitter from a mug. She tried to turn away, but he insisted and so she drank it all and when she was done the world seemed much further away. 

She was never certain afterwards how long she lay there. Theta's movements seemed to come from a very long distance away and gradually the pain in her head subsided to the point where she could sleep.

When she awoke (and she was starting to become very weary of sleeping and waking more often than was strictly necessary), she could open her eyes and focus without the excruciating pain. Her mouth and tongue felt thick and she desperately wanted a drink. Turning her head she saw Theta leaning against the counter, completely still. His arms were crossed and he was staring at the floor and for a moment Rose was almost afraid. Not of him, but of who he could be, what he was capable of.

"Theta," she whispered. 

His head snapped up and he was with her in a moment, offering her a drink of water. When she felt more like herself, she set down the cup and focused on him. 

"What's going on?"

He took a deep breath and for a moment she wasn't sure if he would tell her, but then he opened his mouth. "You're sick, Rose, very sick. And it's my fault."

She wrinkled her forehead. "Is it a virus? Did I pick it up from Blaidd Drwg? Or Platform One?"

"No," he said and the words seemed to be ripped from him one by one. "Before that. Your tiny human consciousness can't support your length of life and it's breaking down your body."

"What?" she asked, unwilling to believe her ears. 

"The bonding," he said miserably. "It's killing you."

"But..." she broke off, not sure what else to say.

"I've...shut you out," he said, pain underscoring every word. "If I keep every door firmly shut and make sure my psychic barriers are high your body should start repairing itself."

Rose could feel tears filling her eyes as she stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I thought that might be it and I scanned you this morning, while you were asleep," he told her, not really answering her question. "I got incomplete readings, but then it happened again. It's getting worse. I think the TARDIS being in your head as well as me is what made everything worse."

"Theta," Rose said, reaching out to grab his hands. He took them, but it seemed reluctant. "I feel better when I'm touching you."

"Yeah," he agreed, more of the light going out of his eyes. "My body can somehow combat the worst of your symptoms. I don't know how it works. I didn't spend enough time studying bonded couples." 

He laughed bitterly and Rose flinched at the sound. "What are you saying? Am I going to die?"

"No!" The word seemed wrenched from his soul. "I won't let you."

"Okay, okay," she murmured, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling his head down to her. He moved willingly, resting his head on her chest. "Shhhhh, I got you. It'll be okay."

She could feel his shoulders shaking and her own tears overflowed as she worked to soothe him.

"Theta," she whispered. "Please can we go to bed?"

He raised his head and looked at her, expression guarded. She hated not knowing what he was thinking; it reminded her of the early days - never knowing what she was going to say wrong. 

"This table is very uncomfortable," she added.

He smiled gently and lifted her in his arms, padding out of the room and down the hall to their room. The light in the bedroom was dim and Rose whispered a thanks to the TARDIS for that. Theta set her down on the bed and she immediately started removing her clothes.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Remember the second time?" she asked. "When we went to that place in our minds? I think skin to skin contact would help."

He looked unsure, but he stripped out of his clothes willingly enough. When they were both naked, he crawled into bed and she laid down nearly on top of him, her breasts pressed to his chest, his arms around her middle.

"Hi," she whispered when they were settled.

"Hi yourself."

"I love you."

"I love you, my precious girl."

"Okay," she nodded. "We can get through this. Shhh, I know it seems impossible, but impossible is what we do."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and grinned. "Can't argue with that."

"Exactly," she smiled, pressing a kiss to the hollow in his throat. "Now, tell me more about what is going on with me...and us."

"You're human," he started.

"Funnily enough, I got that on my own," she teased.

He rolled his eyes and she mentally congratulated herself. "But humans weren't meant to live forever, even with the evolving of your genes that came with your migration to this planet. There's a bit too much Old Earth human in you yet."

"So my brain can't handle it?"

"Your brain, your body, your mind, your consciousness," he listed. "All of the above. They are shutting down slowly. That's why you've got the migraines. It's too much for your body to handle."

Rose shuddered at the memory of the migraines. "So what happens next."

"I've closed the doors in my brain and that'll slow down the bonding," he said. 

"Slow it?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't reverse it, not completely. There's a place on Ryoxis IV that can though."

"No!" she exclaimed, shaking her head violently. "I won't leave you like that."

"It's not leaving me," he said. "It'll put your mind back to rights and your lifespan too. This way I can keep you for as long as possible."

His arms tightened around her, tears filling his eyes. Rose's mind whirled as she tried to process everything he was saying. 

"So if we un-bond then what happens? I grow old and die the same way I would have before?"

"Yes, I think so," he said tightly. "It hasn't been tested, but that's my working theory."

Rose opened her mouth to protest and then shut it again. She understood the conundrum they were in and it was making it hard to breathe. If they continued on as they were then she could die, but if they reversed it they would gain a few more years together.

"How long would I have?" she asked shakily. "If you don't reverse it."

He shook his head. "A couple weeks? A couple months? It's hard to say; depends on how hard your body fights to survive."

She nodded slowly. "Let's not rush there yet then, yeah? Give it some time. My body might be stronger than we know."

"Rose," he said and then his lips were on hers.

She kissed him back hard. A moment later he flipped them and pressed kisses to the side of her neck. As he worked his way down her body, Rose felt tears hit her skin. It was clear that he was determined to put all of the passion he could into every movement of his mouth and tongue.

His mouth found her left breast, sucking and nibbling while his fingers played with her right. After a bit he switched, using his teeth to bite and his tongue to soothe. He took his time, not rushing at all as he worshiped her breasts.

Eventually he moved lower, kissing and licking his way down her stomach until he finally reached her center. She needed him, wanted him, loved him, and his tongue was a sweet torture. He took his time there too, working her open with his fingers and lapping at her core as if she was a delectable treat he would never tire of tasting.

Between his tongue and his fingers, it didn't take long for her to break apart and he kissed his way back to her after. When he reached her mouth again, he poured all of his love and devotion into the kiss. When he released her, he made to roll off of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, using her hands on his shoulders to hold him in place. "We're not done."

She wiggled her hips against his erection to prove her point. 

"Rose," he started.

"Uh-uh," she shushed him. "We're doing this my way and that means you don't get to deprive me of your cock."

He chuckled despite his worried look and nodded. 

"Yes, Rose."

She laughed then, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"I love you so much, okay," she whispered. "Never forget that."

His head dropped to the spot between her shoulder and her neck and she felt his whole body shudder. 

"I'm not gonna leave, if I can help it," she murmured. "You once told me that nothing could separate bonded couples and I guess we're gonna test that theory in a big way. I'm not worried, not really, cause I have you and you've got me and that's all we need, yeah?"

He lifted his head and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks. 

"Rose Tyler." And it sounded like a prayer.

"Now, before my stomach demands food cause you guys ate dinner without me, I believe you promised me your frankly magnificent cock."

He laughed and moved over her. "Afraid it's flagged a bit."

"Well, we can't have that."

Rose snaked her arm between them and wrapped her hand around him, working him up and down. It didn't take long for him to grow under her movements.

"Think it likes me," she teased.

"Of course! It's part of me and I like you!"

"Glad to hear it!"

She guided him where she wanted him and groaned as he pressed inside of her. It was always a sweet relief this coming together and it was no different this time. She could tell that Theta had shut doors to his mind, but in this moment his concentration was lax and she could feel his overwhelming love for her wash over her consciousness. 

It was sweet ecstasy as he moved and she met him thrust for thrust. Tears filled her eyes again as she sent her love for him back to him and felt him stutter as he received it.

"Rose," he started. 

"Mmmm, don't stop now."

He chuckled and resumed his movements. She knew he would reach his climax before she would and she so desperately wanted them to be together with this. Reaching a hand between them, she found her clit, pinching and rolling it. It gave her the extra stimulation she needed to break apart and her shaking walls pushed him over the edge with her. 

It was glorious to fly with him, to feel the way the planets spun and danced, the way suns were born and died all while they cried their pleasure to the heavens. 

When Theta had cleaned them off, they rolled over to find a plate of meats and cheeses and crackers on a plate by the bed.

"Did the TARDIS do this?" she asked in wonderment.

"Must have heard you complaining about not eating," he said, helping himself to a piece of cheese. "She likes you a lot."

"I like her too," she smiled at the ceiling and felt the warmth of the ship fill her. The TARDIS' hum was apologetic and soothing all at once and Rose let it be known she wasn't upset with the ship at all. 

They ate in relative silence and afterwards, Rose curled up, scooting her bum backwards until she felt him behind her. She fit right there in his arms, her back to his front, their legs tangled together, and she was certain she never wanted to be anywhere else.

"Theta," she whispered sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"We'll be okay. I know we will."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they start to learn how to deal with this problem (mostly smut)

For the first time since they had arrived in Berkshyre, when Rose woke up Theta was still in bed with her. They had shifted during the night so he was laying flat on his back and she was on her stomach, her head resting on his chest and his arm around her. It had been so long since he had spent the night with her and she knew it was a testament to the emotions of the day before.

It was clear that he had constructed his psychic barriers again as it was quiet in her brain, with no sense of him. She missed his presence there, the hum of connection that had become a huge part of her. She worried about what he was feeling, disliking not being able to sense it. It was hard for him to express himself in words and so much easier when he could just project his emotions. She had grown used to being able to reach out and just know what he was feeling. 

It made her heart hurt to think of reversing the bonding process, not just for her loss, but for his. She was worried what being alone with his thoughts again would do to him. And, on the other hand - if they didn't reverse the process, what being alone in the universe again would do to him. She snuggled closer to her Time Lord and felt his grip tighten around her.

"You're awake, I can tell," his growl echoed through her body.

She hummed in agreement, pressing a kiss to his skin and moving so she could shift her body on top of his. The faint ache in her skull was relieved when she had her entire body pressed to his and she lay there, content to be as close to him as she could. His arms were tight around her and they lay without speaking for awhile. 

At length she scooted up so she could find his lips with her own, greeting him with all of the love she was feeling, but couldn't communicate non-verbally. He kissed her back with a growing passion and want coiled through her belly and she could feel his length hard between them. She didn't want to take control this morning, but he wasn't doing anything more than kissing her. 

Frustration streaked through her and she pulled back, looking down at him. "I don't know what you want," she complained.

His eyes were tired, apologetic. "I'm sorry, love."

Instantly regret filled her. "No, I'm sorry," she murmured. "It's hard this way."

"I know," he agreed quietly and his words tore at her.

She kissed him again, briefly. "I want you on top," she whispered, unsure of why she was embarrassed at the admission.

Theta nodded and carefully rolled them over, bracing himself on his elbows. He smiled at her and it seemed sad, even as he lowered his mouth to her neck. He trailed kisses down her body, taking his time to enjoy her breasts before moving lower and focusing his attention to her center.

His tongue and fingers were as electrifying as ever, but something was missing. She turned her head restlessly on the pillow, wishing she could show him with her mind what she needed. He brought her to the edge at last and she broke apart around him, hardly aware of the tears leaking into the pillow. 

When she opened her eyes, he was hovering over her, one finger catching the wetness on her cheeks. "What's wrong, love?" 

Rose shook her head, the lump in her throat too large to talk over. Instead she hooked her arms around his shoulders and dragged him down so he was resting against her body. It was easiest to breathe like this and he held her while she cried, soft sobs that turned harder as she realized everything she had lost, everything she could still lose. 

She could hear him murmuring words of comfort against her skin, but she couldn't understand the individual words. Eventually she was able to calm down and he lifted his head to look at her, the fear in his eyes almost enough to open the floodgates again. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head when he would have interrupted her. "I miss you."

He didn't say anything to that, though the lines on his forehead tightened. Instead he raised himself upwards and reached one hand between them, stroking himself back to fullness. A moment later he met her eyes, lifting one eyebrow in question and, at her nod, entered her with one long movement. 

Despite everything, it was still wonderful; she felt as if they were becoming one person in this act of lovemaking. She raised her hips to meet him, to welcome him home. It was tender, the way they moved together, his eyes locked on hers, their hips moving together. As much as she wished to feel him in her brain as well as in her body, she knew this was the next best thing and so she maintained eye contact and stayed present with him.

She could feel the passion growing and a moment later she crested the wave, her eyelids shuttering in pleasure. When she opened them again, he had subsided his movements, but she could feel him still hard inside of her. Disappointment that they hadn't arrived at their orgasm together filled her and she bit her lip, even as she lifted her hips to encourage him to keep going, to get what he needed.

He nodded tightly and started to move again, frustration evident in the lines of his forehead. She knew that he was going to give up, not wishing to abuse her already tender sex and she relaxed her face, smiling up at him.

"Theta," she whispered. "I love you. I love you so much. Come for me, love, you can do it. For me. Come for me."

His eyes widened as he listened to her and he nodded, his movement growing erratic and then his body going rigid, his face tight with pleasure. A moment later he relaxed against her and she stroked his head.

"You did so good, my love," she murmured. "I knew you could, knew you could do it just for me."

She almost shook her head as the words poured from her mouth, but stopped herself in time. She did know what his favorite desire was in bed and she could give it to him when she needed to. It made her feel better, to know that despite the fact they couldn't communicate instantly, at least they could still communicate and she did know him well enough to help him when he needed her.

They took their time separating and, by mutual agreement, headed to the en suite to wash up before the day ahead and whatever challenges it would bring. 

"Where are we headed today?" Rose asked as she stepped into the shower.

"Berkshyre," he told her from where he was shaving at the sink. "I know what the coordinates are this time."

She chuckled. "You sure? I really don't want to deal with another wolf."

"Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform!" he corrected and she rolled her eyes.

"Right, a lupine wavelenth haemo...."

"Haemovariform."

"Haemovar...hang on! Haemovariform!" 

"Well done!" his face appeared around the door of the shower.

She had shampoo in her hair and was rubbing it in, her arms above her head and her body stretched. His mouth dropped like he hadn't been inside of her ten minutes before. She raised an eyebrow at him and somehow wasn't surprised when he stepped inside, licking his lips. 

"You keep doing that," he instructed, waving his hand at her hair. 

She shrugged, watching him drop to his knees. He pressed his lips to her thighs, his eyes already dark with lust. 

"Love to see you like this," he mumbled. "Love to smell you and taste you."

His tongue found her clit as he spoke and the end of his sentence was garbled. She gasped as he sucked hard before releasing her. 

"Love to see you getting wet for me."

"Yes," she moaned as her ran his fingernails across her lower belly, her hips jumping involuntarily. "Please."

"Please what, Rose?" he asked, stopping with his face mere millimeters from her center. "You have to tell me now."

She could barely think with his breath blowing across her and she moaned again. "I want you!"

"Mmm," he pretended to think about. "That could mean a lot of things. Got to be more specific."

Her head tipped backwards and the spray of water helped clear some of the cobwebs from her brain. He hadn't tried something like this before, but she certainly wasn't complaining. 

Evidently she was taking too long to tell him because he backed up a hair, his eyes concerned. 

"No!" she cried, seeing his hesitation. "Please. Yes. I want your fingers."

He nodded seriously, his fingers coming up to rest against her thighs, delicately scratching against the skin. 

"Like that?"

"On me! In-inside of me." Her voice stuttered as he blew a long breath directly on to her clit.

He smirked and his index finger was suddenly inside of her, long and bent. He drew it out slowly and then brought it to his lips, closing his lips around his finger and sucking hard. She groaned at the sight. 

"That all?" he asked, releasing his finger and grinning up at her.

"No, please, I want your fingers and your mouth on me!" she cried. "Please."

He raised one eyebrow and wrapped his hands around her lower thighs, pressing a kiss just to the side of where she wanted him. "Like this?"

"Theta!" she growled.

"You're gonna have to be specific," he told her. "I can't hear you and you have to tell me. Come on, you can do it - tell me what you want."

"I want, I want your fingers inside of me. I want your tongue on me, on my clit," she stuttered as he followed her directions. "I want you to make me come, please, please."

He pulled back as soon as her voice stopped and she groaned at the loss. "Keep going, Rose. What else do you want?"

"I want, I want you to suck me off," she continued, trying to think of how to tell him. "I want you to use your fingers and your mouth to make me come."

His fingers dove inside of her again at her words, stroking her sweet spot and making it hard to think. "Please, Theta, please, I need, I'm so close, please," her words were all but meaningless now, but his ministrations continued.

She kept speaking, begging him to keep going, please, to keep going. His tongue swirled around her clit, dragging it into his mouth and sucking hard. With a scream she shattered around him, vaguely aware of his fingers helping her through her orgasm.

When she could breathe, she reached for him and he came to her willingly, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his mouth to hers.

"I can," she started to drop down. 

He shook his head. "Not this time."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to taste you." He winked at her and then stepped backwards out of the shower. "You tasted fantastic, by the way."

She was finished with her shower in record time after that and stepped out to find him already dressed and out of the room. It didn't take her long to find clothes and she joined him in the kitchen a few moments later. He was already starting a breakfast of toast and cereal and fruit and she helped him finish getting on the table.

"So, that was fun," she said, as she crunched some toast.

"It was."

"First time you've tried something like that."

"We need to use words now," he explained, shifting a little. "Did you not like it?"

"Theta," she said. "You have brought me to orgasm five times in the last twelve hours or so. I think it's safe to say I've liked what you're doing."

He preened under her compliment. "It's harder this way, but the only way to get through is to talk."

She laughed out loud. "Coming from the grumpy Time Lord who would rather do pretty much anything in the galaxy than talk!"

The tips of his ears went pink and he took a large bite of cereal. 

"I know what you mean, though," she went on in a gentler tone. "And we will get through this. My head doesn't hurt at all right now."

"It's the sex. The more we have it, the closer we feel and the more my body can help stabilize your brain. The TARDIS is helping too," he added like an afterthought.

She flashed an apology to the ceiling and felt the TARDIS' hum of acknowledgement. "So basically you're giving a really good argument for staying in bed and shagging all day."

"I mean, we do live in a Time Machine," he grinned.

She snorted. "We do, but we can't shirk our responsibilities forever. I think you've given me enough stamina to get through the day."

They finished breakfast in short order and Rose finished up the dishes while Theta went to the console room to make sure the TARDIS was ready for another trip. When she joined him, he handed her a bottle; it read méchant loup on the side and contained small gold pills. She raised an eyebrow at Theta.

"I don't know," he admitted. "The TARDIS left this for you; she's very keen on you taking one a day."

Rose shrugged and popped one in her mouth. It tasted like fire and ice and then she swallowed it down and the sensation passed. 

"So, Berkshyre?" he asked, his hands on the controls.

"Yes!" she agreed.

Theta pulled a lever and the ship started moving at once. The trip was shaky and oddly long, but at last they were settled and Theta nodded with satisfaction.

"Parked right outside town in the trees. We should be there twenty-four hours after we left."

Rose grinned, excitement at seeing Jackie again bubbling up in her chest. She leaned over and kissed his cheek and then bounded over to the doors, flinging them open. Theta was right behind her and they stepped into the world outside together.

They were technically parked in a grove of trees, but it was not the young wood that it had been when they had been confronted by Jake. Instead the undergrowth was thick and full and the trees had filled in considerably. They were parked at the edge of a smooth dirt path and straight down it they could see houses and Rose walked towards them slowly, her stomach sinking.

The houses were made of smooth wood, none of the log cabins like back in Powell in sight, and the dirt path turned into a street which was a mixture of loose stones. Each house stood in its own lot, smoke curling from chimneys, and people were moving around. People Rose recognized.

"Um," Theta said, from behind her, but she almost didn't hear him because she had caught sight of Jackie. 

Jackie was standing on the front step of one of the houses, leaning against a broom and talking to a boy she knew and yet, didn't know at the same time. Her footsteps carried her forward until she stood at the end of the path that led to the house. Jackie looked up, her eyes meeting Rose with a cry of shock.

Rose looked away from her up at Theta whose eyes were wide, but whose smile was clearly visible.

"Not twenty-four hours," Theta explained with a shrug. "Twenty-four months."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which more things don't go according to plan (warning for minor character death by murder at the end of this chapter)

Rose's jaw dropped as she stared at Theta and then slowly turned to look at Jackie. Her mum was still standing stock-still, gazing at Rose as if she were a mirage. 

"Rose?" Jackie breathed in an unsteady whisper.

"Mum!" Rose's voice shook as she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around her. 

Rose could feel her tears mingling with Jackie's as the two women hugged. Jackie's shoulders were shaking and she was murmuring words of fear and wonder and hope. They hugged for a long time and it was Rose who broke the hug, stepping backwards and reaching blindly for Theta's hand. The pain in her head was compounded by her tears and she needed Theta to drive away the worst of it.

Jackie pursed her lips as she stared at their joined hands. 

"I ought to slap you again," she bit out, glaring at Theta.

"Mum," Rose warned as Theta took a hasty step backwards. 

"Where were you? I know you said you'd be off fighting, but then to not show up for two years! Two years, Rose! I was worried sick!"

"I know, Mum, I'm sorry," Rose started and then stopped, focusing on the young man standing next to Jackie. "Tony!"

Tony grinned and met Rose halfway for a hug. Rose felt fresh tears well up in her eyes as she hugged him; her little brother was now up to her shoulder and the look in his face spoke more of the man he was growing into than the boy she had seen just a few days ago. 

"Did you really go fighting?" Tony asked when he broke the hug. 

"Sort of," Rose explained, her gaze encompassing her whole family. "It wasn't really two years for us. Theta, he has this time machine -"

"Cool!" Tony interjected. "Can I see it?"

"Yes!" Theta started.

"No!" Jackie interrupted.

"Anyway!" Rose continued. "We went on two adventures on it, but his piloting leaves a little bit to be desired and we apparently skipped ahead two years."

Theta rolled his eyes at her, a hint of his old humor peeking through. Rose shrugged, grinning at him with her tongue between her teeth and enjoying the way his gaze darted down to her mouth.

"Everyone's been so afraid!" Jackie exclaimed. "Suki's been around a few times. That Adam has been sniffing over here practically every week, asking more questions than you can shake a stick at."

"Adam?" Rose and Theta asked at the same moment.

"He's still around?" Rose questioned, exchanging a worried glance with Theta.

"Yeah, was just here yesterday, wasn't he?" Jackie glanced at Tony who nodded wisely. "Like a dog after a bone, that one. You two must be very valuable to them."

"I don't know about all that," Theta said.

"Where's Mickey then?" asked Rose.

"Headquarters," Tony snorted. "Where else?"

"Now, Tony," Jackie warned. "He's become a very valuable member of the Renegades."

"Mickey?" Rose asked in surprise.

"He's a very valuable member to something, anyway," Tony muttered and Jackie cuffed the back of his head. 

Rose raised her eyebrows at her little brother, but Tony was scuffing his shoe in the dirt and Jackie's expression suggested it was a conversation better left for another time. 

"We should check in there too," Theta said.

"You just got back!" Jackie exclaimed. "You can't go disappearing again."

"We won't disappear!" Rose reassured her. "But if Adam is still around and as curious as all that then we've got to."

Jackie still didn't look convinced and narrowed her eyes at their still-joined hands. "You two properly together then?"

Rose looked at Theta and met his warm blue eyes, smiling slightly as she could still read the love shining from them. 

"Yeah," she said, not looking away from him. "We are together."

Jackie sniffed and then stepped forward and pulled her daughter into another hug. "I'm serious about not disappearing. I already lost my husband, I don't need to go about losing my daughter."

"I know, Mum. We won't. I promise. I'll make sure we check in before we need to go."

"For a proper meal too!" Jackie said, finally releasing her. "You could afford to eat and so could himself, I'm sure. I've got some shepherd's pie that will stick to your ribs."

"Sounds good!" Rose smiled, aware of the prickle of more tears.

She stepped backwards and let Theta tug her back down the road, headed in the general direction of where Headquarters was.

"Wrong way!" Tony called. "Let me show you."

He ran towards them, slowing in the gravel as he got to them. "Headquarters moved about six months back."

"Thanks!" Rose smiled at him, ruffling his hair. 

He rolled his eyes, but didn't move away from Rose's touch. "So do you really have a time machine? Cause you're alien?"

Theta laughed. "I really do. You should check it out with us, sometime."

Tony nodded eagerly. "Mum'd kill me, but I want to."

"Is Mum really doing okay?" Rose asked him.

"Yeah. Tired all the time, but since we got technology and proper houses she's happier." Tony darted a sideways glance at Rose. "She was worried about you. Cried a lot."

Shame filled Rose as she listened to Tony. She could imagine how scared and upset Jackie would have been while she was missing. She well remembered the time after Pete had died and how Jackie had cried herself to sleep for weeks afterwards. 

Theta seemed to pick up on her somber mood because he engaged Tony in conversation about the new technology and other changes to Berkshyre, leaving Rose to her thoughts. 

Another dart of pain went through Rose at the thought of what Jackie would say if she knew everything that had happened to Rose in the weeks since they had last had a real heart-to-heart conversation. How Jackie would react if she knew Rose's potential immortality or the fact that Rose was dying because of it. It was a bit of irony that hadn't really struck her until just now. Glancing sideways at Theta, Rose wondered where her loyalties were meant to be laid: with her mum and brother or with this Time Lord to whom she had promised her forever, however long or short that was.

Was it better if she followed Theta's advice and reversed the immortality so that she would start to age like normal? Or to stay the course and let the immortality kill her - she snorted as the full irony of her situation reared its ugly head. Theta glanced at her and she shook her head, suddenly glad he couldn't read her thoughts and then instantly regretting that notion as it aggravated her pounding head. She loved him, so much, more than she had realized one could love someone else and the very idea of leaving him, through death (however close or far away that was) was heartbreaking. She knew, in that moment, she had her answer - her loyalty was here, with Theta, and she knew that somehow they would figure it out together.

She was roused from her musings when they arrived at the end of a pathway that led to a large building. It was easily three to four times larger than every other building, its dark walls and imposing structure casting a long shadow over the rest of Berkshyre. 

"Headquarters," Tony announced, stopping in his tracks. "I'm not allowed closer."

Rose let this comment go, but Theta tilted an eyebrow at him. "What'd you do then?"

Tony shuffled his feet and refused to make eye contact for a moment. "I hate Adam! He's a prat!" he burst out.

"He is," Theta agreed mildly.

"He kept coming around and bothering Mum! Making her cry and all. So I setfiretothebuilding."

"You what now?" Rose asked in the same tone she used to get her Time Lord to talk.

"I snuck around at night and set the trash out back on fire. It caught the old building on fire. It's why they moved," he finished proudly.

"Well done!" Theta congratulated.

"Theta!" Rose exclaimed. "Tony!"

"What?" Both of them turned to look at her at once - Theta's blue eyes and Tony's brown ones remarkably similar in that moment. 

She sighed, long and heartfelt. "Tony. you need to be around to protect Mum. I'm not gonna be around to do it and someone's got to."

Tony's shoulders fell. "I know. But you should have seen the way Adam's always around - saying stuff just to make Mum cry. It's mean. I really do hate him."

"He'll get justice, don't you worry about that." Theta promised.

Before either Tony or Rose could respond to this dramatic statement, the door of the building flew open and Mickey came running out.

"Oi!" he yelled. "You two! Come quick! Suki's been shot!"

Theta and Rose bolted up the path towards Mickey, leaving Tony standing stock still in the middle of the road. 

"Rickey!" Theta called. "Good to see you!"

"It's Mickey and there's no time!" Mickey yelled. "Come on!"

He led the way inside and the three ran through the entryway. The room they found themselves in was long and surprisingly low, with bright lights hanging from the ceiling and large screens adorning the far wall. In the center of the room, a large knot of people were formed and they could hear a familiar voice shouting. Theta shouldered his way through the crowd, Rose hot on his heels. 

When they were finally through, Rose caught her breath. Suki was lying on the floor in a pool of blood and Adam was waving a gun around at the crowd. When he caught sight of Rose and Theta he laughed hysterically. 

"Ahh!!! The traitors return!"

"Adam, please," Suki's weak voice sounded. 

Rose made to go closer and was stopped by Adam whirling with the gun aiming straight for her heart. Theta moved so his body blocked Rose and Rose rolled her eyes, pushing forward so they were side-by-side, grabbing Theta's hand and squeezing it in reassurance. 

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"This bitch betrayed me!" Adam screamed. "After all we've been through and she refused to give me command of Ely!"

Rose tilted her head to one side. Shooting Suki seemed like an overreaction to not receiving the command he wanted. 

"She needs a doctor!" someone said and Rose recognized the speaker as Martha, the woman who had disagreed with Suki's use of the rift. "You have to let someone see to her! She'll die!"

"Good!" Adam spat. "I want her to! You'll all die too! All of you! The Professor will kill you all! Starting with you!"

He spun around so the gun was aimed at Rose once more. Theta growled low in his chest and stalked forward, hand out to grab the offending weapon. Before Theta reached him, Adam slammed his hand down on his wrist and vanished. Instantly Martha darted forward and dropped to her knees beside Suki, Rose reaching her a heartbeat later.

There was a lot of blood, Suki's shirt was already soaked through and there was a growing puddle underneath of her. 

"Come on!" Martha muttered, her fingers questing for the bullet hole. 

"Stop," Suki said, her voice weak. "It's too late. My fault."

"It's not your fault," Rose protested at once.

"It is. I knew, I knew what he was and I didn't want to see it. My brother..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes fluttered. 

"No!" Martha cried. "You can fight this. Suki! Don't give up on me!"

Martha reached down and started trying chest compressions. 

"Please," Suki moaned, opening her eyes briefly. "Don't."

Martha let out a cry of despair, but rocked back on her heels, leaving her hands on Suki's shoulder. 

"Jake," Suki breathed and the blond guard stepped forward.

"You're in charge," Suki said, fighting for breath. "Lead them well."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Martha..." Suki's voice was very weak now.

"I'm right here!" Martha leaned forwards so Suki could see her.

"Get...the Agent. It's time."

Martha nodded furiously, tears running down her face.

"I will, Suki. I will."

"Rose," Suki murmured and Rose leaned closer to hear. "Time Lord. He's coming. Stop him. Together."

Suki groaned, long and deep as a spasm rocked her and then she relaxed again, her hands clutching the air. "It's been...." She took several rattling breaths and then her eyes rolled back and she was gone.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they catch up on current events

For a moment there was complete silence; even the sounds of mourning were hushed as if the entire world was having a moment to grieve for the passing of Suki MacCrae Cantrell. 

It was Jake who broke the silence, giving orders for disposing of the body and sending people back to work. In a few moments the only people left still standing together were Rose, Theta, Martha, Jake, and Mickey. 

"Who are you meant to be summoning?" Jake asked Martha.

"An Agent deep undercover," she said, her voice steady despite the tear tracks still visible on her face. "He will help us defeat the Professor."

"What did she tell you?" Jake's next question was directed towards Rose.

Rose stared at him. With the stress of the last forty-five minutes since exiting the TARDIS, her head was pounding in earnest and she was having trouble forming words. Theta stepped closer and wrapped both arms around her, anchoring her to his chest and it helped the worst of the pain to recede. 

"She told me that someone is coming and Theta and I are to stop him," she managed.

"Who?" Jake asked.

"The Professor, obviously," Mickey interjected.

Rose raised an eyebrow at his tone and his obvious comfort to give his opinion in the group, but neither Martha nor Jake seemed surprised.

"Probably," Jake agreed. "Would like to be sure though so we know what we're up against."

"It's gotta be the Professor," Martha agreed with Mickey. "You know Adam went running to him the second he left here."

Jake and Mickey snorted in agreement.

"You mean you knew he was a traitor?" Rose asked incredulously.

"Course," Jake said. "Everybody did. Even Suki, really. But she had a real blind spot when it came to him, refused to listen to any of us."

"They were brother and sister," Martha explained. "Or half-siblings anyway. Suki told me about it after you called to warn her. She knew who you were talking about, by the way." She indicated Rose and Theta. "Anyway, she said that they found Adam on a different planet; his own family had died in a fire. And they brought him up as one of them. He never really fit in here though."

They all took a deep breath as they thought of the recent tragedy.

"How'd you know we were outside?" Theta asked Mickey suddenly.

"Oh," he looked embarrassed. "Jake and me sort of fixed up a Time Lord Detector."

"A what now?" Theta demanded. 

"It's a bit of tech that Suki gave us - dunno where she got it - but we got it working again. It was supposed to light up when you were near, she said. Didn't think it worked, really, but then it lit up and I went out to look and there you were."

"I want to see this!" Theta growled. 

Mickey took a step backwards and Rose shook her head against Theta's chest. She wasn't ready for him to start in on a rage and let go of her just yet.

"A bit later then," Theta agreed. 

Rose glanced up at him, surprised he seemed to still know her moods. His eyes were dark but he managed a smile for her. She could tell he was very bothered by something and somehow she didn't think it was their Time Lord Detector. As she sagged further into him, she thought maybe it was less that he was sensing her moods and more that her body was clearly weak. Both Martha and Mickey were giving her concerned looks as well. 

"Do you need to lie down?" Martha asked, reaching out a hand to her.

"I'm okay," Rose reassured her, pasting on a smile. "Just a bit tired, is all."

Martha didn't look convinced, but before she could argue, Jake interrupted, "Can you alert this Agent and then assemble UNIT. I feel like we're gonna need their help."

"UNIT?" Theta questioned, turning his head sharply as Martha walked away. 

"A new army," Jake said. "The war has raged in your absence."

"So catch us up," Theta prodded.

Jake paused like he wasn't going to speak, the look of distrust evident on his face. "Well, I might not like you, but Suki trusted you and I know if she was still here, she'd act like nothing was wrong." He took a deep breath and released it. 

"Londyn is entirely under the Professor's thumb, of course," he went on. "And Londyn's power is stretching - the outposts in the South and East are completely under Torchwood control. The planets of Cothite, Macroon, and Borg have also been taken. We've managed to win back control of Ecarg though - lost a lot of good men, but we did it."

"Ely is safe though?" Rose asked.

"Hmmm? Oh yes, it's safe. It's Adam's fault that the Western outpost fell - Broadchyrch, and Suki wasn't about to give up the North as well. Not with it being so close to Blaidd Drwg."

"Are they okay?" Rose wanted to know.

"No," Jake said shortly. "Blaidd Drwg fell. Not long after you disappeared, actually. Adam blamed you, but we all knew what really happened. We've spent most of the past two years playing catch-up to his schemes. Nothing like family to blind you to the truth."

"So you went and created an army like Torchwood?" Theta demanded.

"It's not exactly like Torchwood!" Jake glared at him, crossing his arms. "There's a war on! You can't not have an army."

Theta took a deep breath, but before he could fully launch into an argument they were interrupted by footsteps approaching and the four of them turned to see Martha walking towards them accompanied by a new gentleman. Rose's first thought was that he was very attractive. He had jet black hair, piercing eyes, a ready smile, and wore a floor length navy coat that swished as he walked. 

"Captain Jack Harkness!" the man introduced himself before Martha could. "And who are you?"

His question was directed towards all of them, but Rose felt his eyes on her and it brought a warm feeling to her belly to have all that charm directed at her. She could hear Theta's growl and she leaned sideways into his chest, her hand tightening on his. 

Introductions were made all around and Jake, Jack, and Martha were soon deep in conversation about plans and strategies, moving towards the wall of screens. Rose knew Theta was chafing to be involved. 

"I'm okay," she murmured, twisting in Theta's arms so she could look up at him. "You go talk to them and I'll rest here. Wouldn't do you any good, anyway."

Theta's eyebrows drew together at her statement. "That's not true, Rose Tyler. You're fantastic."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and Rose smiled at him. "I'll be okay, really. Are you okay though? You look..." She let her sentence trailed off, unsure how to describe exactly what impression she was getting from his emotions.

"Something else is wrong," Theta said. "I don't know what it is, but I'll figure it out. I can hear..." He taped the side of his forehead. "Something. I can't tell what it is yet though."

Rose reached up and ran her fingers across his brow, smoothing away the worry lines. "I believe in you, yeah? You'll figure it out."

He grinned at her, swooping down to press a kiss to her lips. "Love you," he murmured not moving away. 

"Love you too," she whispered. "Now go catch up with them. I'll be okay here. Mickey'll look after me."

Theta turned towards Mickey with a possessive growl. "If anything happens to her..."

Mickey's eyes widened. "Nothing will!" he hastened to reassure him.

Theta pressed another deliberate kiss to Rose's lips before wrenching himself away and going after the trio. Rose swayed just a bit as Theta let go and then turned to Mickey with a small smile. 

"So!" she said brightly before hastily dropping into a chair before her legs gave out. 

"You aren't okay." It wasn't a question and Rose bit her lip.

"Just a bit sick, is all," she said lightly. "And thirsty. Could you grab some water maybe? Or tea?" 

Mickey stared at her, concern evident on features before nodding and setting off in search of something for her to drink. Rose closed her eyes, desperately hoping that the world would stop spinning. The pounding in her head was reaching a fever pitch and she dropped her head down, clutching it tightly with both hands, her fingers pressing into her temples in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. 

Vaguely she was aware of Mickey thrusting a cup in her hand. She accepted it gratefully and gulped down several large mouthfuls of the cool water. A thought struck her and she stuck her hand in her pocket and retrieved the bottle of pills Theta had given her that morning. Shaking out one of the golden tablets she took one with another sip of water. As soon as she swallowed it, she felt the pressure in her head release somewhat and she looked up with a smile.

Mickey looked relieved. "I, uh, I also put some tea on. Should be done soon."

"Thanks Mickey," Rose said. "Pull up a chair and tell me about yourself. You're real cozy here with all the big shots."

Mickey snorted, but pulled up a chair. "Not much to tell, really. Missed you a lot. I was angry for a long time, you know?"

Rose bit her lip. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I was bitter, but Jake helped a lot. And Martha. They really took me in and helped me feel less useless. I'm real good at technology, honestly. I know it seems silly, but I help out a lot and Suki saw that and put me in charge of troubleshooting and general maintenance."

"That doesn't sound silly at all!" Rose praised. "I'm so proud of you! Look at you finding your gift! You didn't need me, anyway. You went out and did it all on your own."

"Well," Mickey looked over his shoulder at the group still deep in conversation by the screens. "Not entirely."

Rose smiled softly. "Well, everyone needs a hand to hold."

"You and Theta then? You...?" Mickey looked embarrassed.

"We're definitely something," Rose agreed with a grin. "Honestly, he's amazing and everything I ever wanted."

"I'm...happy for you then." Mickey's eyes twinkled suddenly. "Even if he is a thing."

With that teasing remark, he stood up and left to retrieve the tea. Rose smiled after him. It was so good to see her old friend happy and comfortable in his surroundings and in himself. He deserved it after all the years of just barely fitting into Powell. She leaned back in her chair, sipping at the water and observing the room now that her eyes weren't squinted shut against the pain.

There were about a dozen people in the room, besides Jake, Martha, Jack, and Theta. Most everyone was focused on the screens and several people were seated at desks, busily typing at individual laptops. There was a decent mix of human and alien, though not as alien as some of the aliens they had come across on Platform One. She smiled as the memory crossed her mind. 

Looking over at Theta, Rose felt the now-familiar ache at not being able to project what she was feeling or feel him in return. She could tell that he was stressed by the lines of his shoulders, and she desperately wanted to go to him, but she knew that despite the fact that she was feeling better, she didn't possess the strength to go to him, nor did she want to interrupt him with her pain. There would be time enough to deal with that later.

Rose turned her head and could see Mickey making his way towards her, two mugs in hand. Before he was halfway though, he suddenly froze, his whole body going rigid for a moment. Rose started to her feet and then realized it had gone oddly quiet in the room. Looking around she could see that everyone in the room had frozen in similar poses. Rose locked eyes with Theta - whose expression was wide with fear, but who seemed as fluid as she felt. And then pandemonium broke out.

Mickey reacted first, turning and throwing the mugs of tea at the nearest person. They responded by rearing up and flying at Mickey with fists out. The two collided and fell to the floor, trying to pound every bit of the other. Before Rose could fully process that, everyone else in the room started to attack one another. One person lifted their laptop and hurled it across the room, narrowly missing Theta, before racing at his neighbor and bodily tackling them to the floor. In the corner a human and a bird-like creature were going at it with fists and talons working to create maximum damage.

Rose turned wide eyes to find Theta and gasped as Jake came running towards her, his eyes dark with rage and his fists up. She hardly had time to register the danger before Theta was suddenly in between them, shoving Jake aside with a firm hit and scooping Rose up and running for the door. 

Outside the scene was the same. They could hear shouts and screams echoing from all directions and see at least three fistfights happening. Behind them came the sound of breaking glass and Rose's hands closed reflexively in the fabric of Theta's shirt. 

"What's happening?" she cried.

"The Professor," Theta ground out. "Adam must have gotten word to him that Suki was dead and he's going into the next phase of his plan."

"What's causing it?" she asked, watching over Theta's shoulder as Martha punched Jack full in the nose. 

"Not sure yet, but something widespread enough that everyone's got one. It must be disrupting brain waves - tapping into primal instincts." Theta's voice was tight with anger and then he paused, looking down at her. "It's not affecting you."

"Not human enough," Rose said, trying to tease, but surprised when his eyes went, if possible, even darker.

"You're not," he agreed shakily.

Rose shook her head. "Time enough for that later. Let's figure this out. What does everyone have?"

Their eyes met and widened at the same time. "ATMOS!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they weather a riot and re-energize one another before disaster strikes (a bit of smut)  
> (I'm so sorry)

As soon as the realization that ATMOS was causing this sunk in, Theta turned back towards the building.

"We need to evacuate these people," he said. "I have an idea on how to stop it."

Rose nodded. "Put me down, I've got this."

Theta looked unsure, but gently lowered her to her feet anyway. Rose smiled at him and moved towards a lever on the wall, keeping a careful eye on the fights around her. Pulling the lever down, the air instantly filled with a piercing whistle. It shook everyone out of their stupor long enough to direct their combined fury in Rose's direction.

"Uh-oh!" She gulped and took a quick step out of the doorway. 

"It's quiet out there!" Theta yelled, gesturing towards the open air. 

It took a couple minutes for them to herd the angry people out the door. Rose carefully made sure not to make eye contact with any of them, especially Mickey, Jake, Jack, and Martha, unwilling to see their eyes full of rage.

As soon as the last of them had exited, Theta slammed the door closed and Rose flipped the lever back in place. A blessed silence descended and Rose sighed in relief. 

Theta stopped long enough to press a proud kiss to the top of her head and then darted towards a table on the far end of the room. It was covered in bits of tech and wires and Theta set to work with no hesitation. Rose stumbled towards a chair and wearily lifted it upright, sinking into it with a sigh of pain. A sudden noise broke through and she looked up, startled.

"Uh, Theta? What's the chances this giant building has more than just the people in this room in it?" she asked as casually as she could. 

Theta whirled around and raced for the far door that led to the rest of the building, slamming it shut and locking it just before a rush of angry people swarmed in. Rose could hear them hammering against the door in their wrath and she gulped. Theta had dashed back to the station and was fitting together bits of the tech, muttering under his breath while he did so.

Pushing herself unsteadily to her feet, Rose made her way over to him, leaning against the end of the counter. 

"What can I do?"

He stopped his furious movement for a moment, his anguished eyes meeting hers. She could tell he was warring with himself. He obviously needed another hand, but was afraid of hurting her. She forced a smile on her face and relaxed her shoulders.

"I'm feeling loads better. What can I do to help?"

He nodded tightly and directed her to one of the undamaged laptops, giving her directions as he continued to build his contraption. Rose typed the commands he gave her into the laptop, her head whirling as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She was getting the idea that the more stress she and, more importantly, Theta was under the worse her pain became. She wondered if this was pushing the timetable up, but knew there wasn't time to worry about it - they had more pressing concerns at the moment. 

Eventually she became aware that she hadn't heard his voice for awhile and that the pressure on her temples was decreasing. She opened her eyes - with no memory of having closed them - and realized that Theta had lifted her up and was seated in her chair; she was in his lap and he was cradling her to his chest. She lifted her head from where it rested on his shoulder, blinking several times to bring him into focus. 

"Hi," she whispered when she could finally see his blue eyes.

"Hi," he whispered back, love and concern fighting for control in his expression.

"Love you."

"I love you, Rose Tyler." His arms tightened around her and he pressed his lips to hers. 

She licked his lips before he could pull back and he opened underneath of her, deepening the kiss. She sighed with contentment as her tongue brushed his, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she needed to breathe, she drew backwards, enjoying the way he moved after her. This time his eyes were dark for another reason and the pain in her head had lessened considerably.

Rose shifted upright, moving her legs till she was straddling him, his face cradled in her hands. He looked like he was going to protest, but Rose leaned forward and kissed the words from his mouth. His tongue slid against hers and she could feel one of his hands find the back of her head, pulling her closer. It was the best healing she could imagine, kissing him like this, and she could only think of only one way to make it better.

Without breaking the kiss, she moved her bum in tight circles. She could feel him start to respond almost at once and he broke the kiss, already shaking his head.

"There isn't time," he protested, his hands dropping to her waist to hold her still.

"It's quiet," Rose argued. "You wouldn't have stopped if people weren't safe. Whatever you were working on, it worked didn't it?"

He nodded, his gaze focused somewhere over her right shoulder. "They are in semi-stasis right now. Frozen in time."

Rose shook her head, ignoring the part where Theta intimated that he had frozen the world. "Something else is going to happen. You're scared, I can tell."

"How?" His eyes found hers again.

"I know you, Theta," she murmured. "I might not be able to sense you, but I love you and I'm bonded to you. I can't tell every detail of what you're thinking, but I've spent enough time in enough adrenaline-type situations to know you pretty well."

A smile split his face and he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Fantastic, Rose Tyler."

"I am, rather," she agreed, rocking against him and smirking as his eyelids fluttered. "But I know something else is going to happen, something you haven't told me. And before that happens, I need this. Besides," she added with a saucy smile. "I always feel better afterwards and so do you."

He chuckled, relaxing his grip on her hips. She immediately started her movement again, grinding down against him and feeling his body respond to her. 

"We still don't have much time," he warned.

"Then we'll just have to be quick and dirty."

She smirked up at him as her hands dove between them. It took a little maneuvering to get her jeans and knickers down and his cock released from his pants, but at length she was poised on top of him. 

"I love you," she told him, using his shoulders for leverage. "Never forget that."

"Rose Tyler," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, as he slid inside of her in one fluid movement. 

She gasped at the sensation of him filling her up. The pain in her head sharply receded at the feeling of his body inside of hers and she started to move, almost before she was ready. Theta's hands slid underneath the hem of her shirt, his fingers sliding up her sides before resting on her breasts. She paused each time she slid down him to rub her clit against his pelvic bone, enjoying that extra bit of stimulation and her eyes slammed closed as the sensations flooded through her system.

His thumbs rubbed her nipples in time to her movements and she rolled her hips as he thrust upwards into her. It was wonderful, his cock moving in and out of her, his calloused fingers squeezing her breasts, but she knew that she was a long way from finding release and she needed it to feel normal again. Besides, she wasn't sure how long Theta could keep the world frozen.

"Hold on," she murmured, pulling backwards and awkwardly clambering off of him. 

He seemed to understand what she was doing and helped her back on his lap, facing away from him. This time when she slid down on him, his cock hit the spot she needed him to and she moaned aloud. 

"Shhh," he warned, his hands grasping her waist. "I'm not going to be able to maintain control of time and focus on this at the same time. People will start to recollect themselves and come looking for us."

She groaned as he accompanied his words with a long, hard thrust. "There's windows," she managed.

"There are," he agreed. "Maybe Mickey will use them to look in. Or maybe Jack."

His hands abruptly pulled her shirt up, exposing her stomach and bra to the world. He scooped her right breast out of her bra and squeezed it. 

"Captain Jack?" she asked, knowing she was goading him.

He growled, nipping her shoulder and rolling his hips against her. "Not a Captain. And I hope he does see this. Sees you riding me, needing me."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she gasped. "Want him to see how only you can satisfy me. Only you get to touch me."

"That's right," he agreed, pairing his words with a harder bite. "You are mine."

Theta continued to squeeze her breast while his left hand closed around her waist. He used that to hold her in place while he thrust up into her. Rose covered his right hand with hers, encouraging the manipulations of her breast. Her left hand slid down until she found her clit.

"I am yours," she panted. "And you. are. mine."

Rose emphasized her words by moving with him, pushing down as he thrust upwards and a moment later she felt her pleasure burst over her. She felt him thrust upwards once, twice and then she could feel him bucking within her, his body finding its own pleasure between her still quaking inner walls.

When she had caught her breath, she eased off of him, using her knickers to clean them both off before offering them to Theta with a wink. He grinned as he snagged them.

"Thanks!" he grinned, pocketing them quickly.

She shook her head at him as she pulled on her jeans and readjusted her shirt and bra. Theta watched her movements, his eyes full of regret. It seemed based on more than just his sadness that he could no longer feast his eyes on her nakedness and she walked over to where he still sat, setting her hands on his shoulders and leaning in to kiss him.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she pulled backwards.

"There's another Time Lord alive," he said and she could feel the blood drain from her face.

"What do you mean? Who? I thought they - I mean, I thought that..." her words stumbled to a halt.

"They did die," he said, a familiar pain in his eyes. "But someone else survived."

"But who?" she asked.

"The Professor is a Time Lord," he announced. "And he's coming here."

She stared at him, unable to form words. 

"That presence I could sense? It's him - I can hear him now, he's very close." Theta looked upwards as if he could see the Professor hovering above them. "I know who he is - knew him and he's...dangerous."

"Theta," she said and then stopped and restarted. "What are we going to do?" 

"Why, stop him, of course!" Theta bounded up from the chair, brushing by her on his way back to the counter of tech.

Sitting on the surface were two contraptions. One was tall with a sphere at the top - looking oddly reminiscent of the Londyn Eye. The other was Theta's vortex manipulator, but with an extra part. 

"Theta?" Rose asked in a small voice, walking slowly over to him.

He ignored her, pointing at the devices and speaking in an elevated tone. "This one," he said, indicating the sphere, "is the transmitter. It's powered up enough to affect all of Berkshyre, I believe. And this one is a transporter, should give me the edge needed to stop him."

"Theta?" Rose tried again, fighting against the trepidation crawling at her belly.

He blustered on. "Everyone should be calmed down now; they'll need access to the lab. The Professor is off-planet in a ship just inside New Earth's atmosphere. I imagine he's got his highest and dearest with him, to make sure they're safe from ATMOS. He'll wait a bit and then send down a scout to see if everyone's managed to kill each other or if he'll have to do it. I'm sure he's got a contingency plan for that."

Rose shook her head at the blast of information. Something was very not right.

"Theta?" 

This time he froze, turning towards her. He stared at her for a long time, his eyes roving across her face as if he was trying to memorize her. With something like a sob, he leaned forward and kissed her hard. He wrenched backwards and picked up the vortex manipulator. She lifted her hand for his and watched in horror as he shook his head. 

"I love you," he said as his fingers closed over the controls and he vanished.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose takes matters into her own hands, with a little help from a friend (or two)

Rose couldn't stop the cry that ripped from her throat as Theta disappeared from view. She took a half-step forward, stumbling against the counter, her hands outstretched as if he would reappear and grab her hands. She could feel his absence like a searing pain through her skull and her eyes welled up with tears. 

The sounds of knocking grew louder and she staggered for the outside entrance, unbolting the door and throwing it open. Jack, Jake, Mickey, and Martha were standing in the doorway and they froze when they caught sight of her. The earth tilted suddenly and everyone's faces lost distinction for a moment.

"Rose?" Mickey called, but Jack and Martha had already leaped forwards to grab her elbows, steadying her.

"Come on! Inside!" Jake ordered and the whole party re-entered the building.

Jack and Martha helped Rose to a chair with Mickey hovering to one side. When her vision cleared, Rose could see that everyone looked a lot worse for wear. Jack's nose was tilted rakishly to one side and blood was on his shirt, Mickey's knuckles were cracked open, Martha had scratches on her cheek, and Jake had a black eye. 

"What happened?" Jake demanded, leaning against a nearby desk and crossing his arms.

Jack and Martha both glared at his harsh demeanor, but Rose almost preferred it to the looks of concern the others were giving her. 

"Theta built a transmitter to prevent the ATMOS from destroying your brainwaves," she explained, focusing on his face. "Then he upgraded his vortex manipulator somehow so he could teleport onto the Professor's ship."

"The Professor's what?" Jake asked.

"Ship," Rose repeated. "He's a Time Lord."

"We know..." Mickey began.

"No," Rose cut him off. "The Professor. He's also a Time Lord."

"Wait, that bloke here earlier was a Time Lord also?" Jack asked in an appreciative tone.

"Definitely not the time, Jack," Martha growled. 

"I'm just saying," he started, but stopped at Jake's glare. "Go on, Rose."

Rose smiled at him, liking the Captain more and more. "So the Professor is coming here, parking his ship at the edge of the atmosphere. And Theta has gone to stop him."

A fresh stab of pain went through her as she spoke the words out loud and she gasped, her hands flying to her temple. 

"Rose?" Mickey's voice penetrated the fog.

"I'm okay," she managed. 

Her mind went to the bottle of pills. Theta had said the TARDIS wanted her to take one a day and she'd already taken two in one day, but surely one more wouldn't hurt. She needed to be able to think clearly to get Theta back. She managed to pull the bottle from her pocket and Martha snapped at someone to bring water. A moment later Rose was swallowing down another of the pills and sliding the bottle back in her pocket before Martha could inspect it further. 

Ignoring Martha's furrowed brows, Rose blinked as the world refocused itself. Jake was determined, his eyes already skittering toward the wall of screens. Mickey looked scared, Martha was obviously worried, and Jack was smiling at her, his eyes kind. She focused her attention on him, a plan already forming in her mind.

"I have an idea on how to help him," she said. 

"Good, good," Jake said in a distracted fashion. "Martha, can you help me here?"

Martha gave Rose one last searching look and then followed Jake towards the screens. Mickey hung back and then hurried after them at Martha's request.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Jack joked, patting her arm.

"Focus," she teased him right back, already getting a handle on the flirtatious Captain.

"What's the plan then?" he asked, standing and bowing dramatically. "I am at your service, my lady."

"First, don't call me your lady," Rose shuddered, reaching out a hand. "And second, please help me up. I'm weaker than I look."

Jack's eyes narrowed, but he held out his hand to help Rose to her feet, tucking it under his arm. "Where to?"

"The field just outside of town. There's a certain blue box I need to find." 

Jack looked intrigued, but before he could respond Mickey appeared in front of them. 

"Where are you going?" His tone was abrasive, but his eyes were afraid.

"I'm gonna get back to him; I have to, Micks," Rose said. "I'm not just gonna leave him to face the Professor on his own."

"Well, he left you, didn't he? Must want to be on his own." 

Rose jerked backwards from his harsh words and Jack tucked her a little tighter to his side. "Watch your tone there, mate."

"I don't even know you!" Mickey rounded on Jack.

"Stop, please!" Rose pleaded, feeling tears welling in her eyes. 

She was so tired of being in pain and of crying and she just really wanted to be back with Theta. She knew the TARDIS would help her if she could just make it to the ship. As much as she didn't want to rely on Jack, she knew she needed help making it the whole distance in her current condition.

The guys' elevated tones brought Martha over, fire flashing in her eyes. "What's going on here?"

"Rose needs my help to get back to Theta," Jack explained.

"Rose doesn't need to get back to him!" Mickey interrupted. "Look at her! She's sick and he made her that way."

"Did he?" Martha looked at Rose.

"It doesn't matter!" Rose cried. "I'm going to get him back. We're bonded and you can't separate bonded couples, he said. And I'm going to make sure that's true, with or without any of you."

"Martha!" Jake called.

"Just a moment!" Martha surveyed the three of them, her hands on her hips. Her eyes softened when they rested on Rose. "Are you certain you know what you're doing?"

"No," Rose admitted. "But I have to try."

"I respect that," she said. "Okay, the two of you go on then. Mickey, stay here with us - we need help reattaching the Fx Monitor to the cable, must have gotten knocked loose in the struggle."

Martha tugged Mickey after her and headed back towards Jake, looking back over her shoulder to mouth "good luck" at Rose.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

It was slow going as Rose kept having to stop to rest. She was having trouble breathing now, her breath coming in short gasps, and the world felt like it was constantly shifting beneath her feet. Jack was keeping a steady stream of chatter in her ear and she was deeply grateful to him as it gave her something to concentrate on instead of the constant pain shooting through her head. She was vaguely aware of the results of the ATMOS control around her, the bruised and bleeding people, and she wished she was able to lend a hand to calm the mass confusion and fear. 

When their progress suddenly halted, Rose forced her eyes to focus and sighed when she realized that Tony was blocking their way, his hands on his hips.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle for an eleven year old. "You okay?"

"Just a bit sick, Tony," Rose said, aware that her voice was contradicting her light words. 

"Want me to get Mum?" 

"No!" Rose gasped, visions of her mum seeing her like this. 

"Then I'm coming with you and...him?" Tony regarded Jack with some suspicion. 

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack introduced himself and Tony's eyes went wide. 

"You're not coming with us," Rose interrupted. 

"Then I'm getting Mum!" Tony threatened, one foot poised to run towards Jackie Tyler. 

"Fine!" Rose relented, sagging against Jack. "You can come. Just be careful."

"I'm always careful!" Tony crowed, turning and skipping ahead of them down the path.

Rose groaned, the words were so reminiscent of the absent Time Lord. 

"You're going to that blue box?" Tony asked, turning around and walking backwards. 

"Yeah, how'd you find it already?"

"I'm good at seeing things other people don't!" Tony said proudly.

"Your brother?" Jack asked.

Rose nodded and then quickly stopped, her head violently protesting the movement. 

"Rose?" Jack said. "I'm gonna pick you up - think we'll get there faster if I do that."

"Okay," Rose agreed and a moment later Jack had swept her up in the air.

"That was scary, earlier," Tony was saying. "I got really mad! Did you get really mad, Rose?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't manage the energy to do so. 

"I think Rose's resting, Tony," Jack said. "But I got mad too."

"Did you? What'd you do? Why'd that happen?"

Rose could hear the timbre of Jack's voice as he responded, but couldn't distinguish the individual words. Despite the fact that Jack was still a virtual stranger, she knew she could trust him and, anyway, at this point - she wasn't sure what other choice she had. She didn't know exactly what she wanted the TARDIS to do, but she figured the ship would have an idea.

When she next became aware of her surroundings, Jack had set her down on the forest floor, propped up against the side of the TARDIS. Rose could hear the ship singing gently into her mind and she smiled in relief. Tony stood a little distance away, hands in his pockets, whistling to himself as he inspected the outside of the ship. Jack was sitting next to her, his eyes trained on her face.

"Hey!" he greeted her. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks!" Rose smiled at him. "I'm feeling better with her in my mind."

"Her?" Jack questioned.

"The ship - she's Gallifreyan."

It was Jack's turn to whistle. "Wow! So she really is a Type 40 TT Capsule - thought those things were obsolete."

Rose looked at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"You forget," he said, looking suddenly serious. "A Time Lord thinks I'm loyal to him."

"Oh. Right." Rose narrowed her eyes at the Captain.

"I'm not though! I grew up in Cardyff..."

"You're Gwen's friend!" Rose interrupted, a long ago conversation reinserting itself into her brain.

"Yeah! You know Gwen? Yeah, we're old friends - grew up with her and Martha. I've always been interested in space tech and I'm pretty good at getting information out of people and I fell into the wrong sort of people when I was a teenager." Jack's eyes looked sad as he relayed his story. 

"Anyway, I ended up working for the Professor - his name's Yana - and then I stumbled across Martha by accident one day. We spent a whole weekend talking - just talking, more's the pity." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Rose rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she talked me into playing spy. And I've been a double agent ever since."

"Wow!" Tony exclaimed making Rose and Jack both jump. "A real double agent!"

"It's not been all fun and games," Jack said when he caught sight of the warning in Rose's expression. "It's been really dangerous."

Rose sighed as Tony just looked even more excited at that news. She had a feeling that Jackie would have kittens at the idea of both of her children in constant danger. 

"So what's the plan?" Jack asked, grimacing a little at Tony's enthusiasm and making Rose chuckle.

"The TARDIS is letting me know," Rose said confidently, standing to her feet without Jack's help. 

Keeping one hand on the TARDIS, she pulled open the door and stepped inside. She could hear Jack and Tony's exclamations of surprise when they followed her through, but she tuned them out in favor of the TARDIS' singing. There was still the feeling of pressure in her skull, but somehow it was soothed by the ship being in her head, instead of exacerbated. 

Rose walked to the console, running her hand around the edge, brushing her fingers against the levers and knobs and buttons. It had only been a few short days since she and Theta had been united with the ship, but already they had created so many strong memories and Rose felt like she was home standing here. She took a deep breath, an odd feeling of power forming in her belly as she listened to the TARDIS' instructions in her mind.

Walking over to a floor panel, Rose smiled as she lifted it easily. It seemed natural that Theta hadn't screwed that panel all the way back down correctly. Jack walked over to help maneuver it so that it leaned against the wall. Rose smiled her thanks but knew she hadn't really needed his help. In this mission, she had the resources she needed because she had the TARDIS on her side and the ship loved Theta as much and more than she did. 

Rose dropped down into the belly of the ship. The air felt warmer here and she could hear the singing more clearly. She followed the sound until she reached the very center. The Time Rotor's base was down here and it fairly hummed as she stretched out her hand and rested it against it. Looking behind her she could see Jack and Tony's curious faces hanging over the edge of the grating.

"Jack," Rose said, surprised to hear her voice sound so calm and yet so authoritative. "I need you to take Tony and leave the TARDIS. Close the doors behind you."

"Rose," Jack started in a disagreeable tone.

"Do as I say, Jack," Rose smiled at him. "I know what I'm doing. Well," Rose patted the TARDIS affectionately. "We do."

Jack sighed, but stood up and did what she said. Rose could hear Tony's noises of protest and then the sound of their footsteps retreating over the grating and the door shutting firmly behind them. She turned back towards the TARDIS. The pain in her head was almost completely gone and instead all she could feel was hope and a dawning joy. She thought she could hear Theta's voice calling out to her and she smiled - she was on her way.

Crouching down, Rose followed the TARDIS' directions and loosened a panel at the front of the Time Rotor's base. A bright light blazed into the space as soon as the metal was out of the way and Rose was bathed in it, her eyes opening wider and wider. As she listened to the song, she felt it burrow into her skin, following her veins, entering her bloodstream, and gradually spreading out to every millimeter of her body. On one level she could feel the light burning her up, on another she felt as if for the first time she was finally free.

When she stood up, the light followed her, blazing out of her eyes, shimmering across her skin, falling from her hair as she walked steadily through the TARDIS. There was no pain in her head or indeed anywhere in her body - instead there was a feeling of contentment, of absolute peace and unity with the world. 

She moved around the console with confidence, moving levers, spinning dials, and altogether piloting with the ease of having done it a thousand, a million times before. When they landed, Rose turned towards the door and for a moment she thought about walking down the long ramp to the door and before the thought had quite finished existing, another took its place.

Raising her right hand, she focused her power on the door and it swung open as she calmly walked forth to save Theta, her Time Lord, her bondmate, her love, her everything.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Theta confronts an old enemy and is rescued by an even older friend (warning for descriptions of light torture)

"Theta?" 

Theta froze, turning towards Rose - his love, his bondmate, his everything. He stared at her - eyes searching her face, memorizing her, knowing this could possibly be the last time he saw her if things didn't go according to plan. He could feel his emotions welling up inside of him, emotions she had taught him to feel, emotions he had once considered base and beneath him, but now couldn't imagine living without. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers, the softness of her skin nearly breaking his resolve. With a groan he wrenched backwards and picked up the vortex manipulator. Rose lifted a hand for his, believing she would be coming with him, and he watched her eyes go wide with terror as he shook his head.

"I love you," he said as his fingers closed over the controls and she vanished from view.

His mind whirled as he traveled through space. He could lose her - today, if he wasn't careful, but eventually, no matter what. For a moment, a brief shining moment in time, he had believed that he would get his chance at forever, that the multiverse was being kind to him. But that had been a fool's dream and it had crashed and burned around him. 

He knew that however long he lived - and he didn't know how long that would be without her - he would never forget that night when he had scanned her and seen the results. How her mind was burning up, destroying her one cell at a time and how it was his fault, always his fault. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but then she had collapsed, complaining of blinding headaches, and struggling with vision problems. And then, standing there in the med bay: staring at the results of his tests. He had thousands of them, variations upon variations upon variations, hoping that some combination would prove him wrong, would tell him that he could save the woman he loved.

And he loved - fully, deeply, completely. The way he felt about her threatened to overwhelm him sometimes, to pull him under and drown him in the sheer weight of his love and devotion for this single human girl. She was tiny in the face of the cosmos, in the face of his experience, in the face of time and space: she didn't really matter in the face of all of that. But to him, oh, to him she meant everything. He would destroy the world to save her.

More importantly, he would destroy himself for her. And that's what he planned to do. Just as soon as he faced the Professor he would go back and get her and they would travel to the little shop he knew on Ryoxis IV and they would remove the bond from them and she would live a happy life and he would...he would be there for her as long as she wanted him. She probably wouldn't want him after that - would want a family and a home and pets and curtains. But until then, until she realized that she was aging and didn't want to spend time shackled to an immortal Time Lord when she had a _choice_ , he would let her stay with him as long as she wanted, as long as ever she wanted.

He didn't want to think about what would happen then, about what would happen to him when she left him. And he definitely didn't want to think about what would happen when they severed the bond for good in that little shop. It was painful enough now, shutting her out when he could still access her if he wanted, if his barriers were low because of their lovemaking. But to have it gone completely - he couldn't imagine the devastation.

He remembered the horror stories he had heard when he was a boy in Gallifrey, the ghost stories they would tell about the dissolving of a bond and how it drove a person mad. It had been a tale to warm the blood back then - something far off and distant, something he had repeated himself, not at all aware of the true devastation of the words he was saying.

They were stories he had heard side-by-side with the Professor. His mind jerked to the present and he growled. The Professor. They had been boyhood friends and rivals; caught up in playing, fighting, adventuring, and always trying to best one another. The Professor had been every bit as talented - maybe more so - as he had been. But where Theta had not wanted the glory, had refused to pick a name, instead continuing to go by his familiar Gallifreyan moniker, the Professor was drunk with fame, with power, with prestige. 

Theta supposed the warning signs for the Professor had long existed, but he had been blind to them in much the same way as Suki had been blind to the warning signs for Adam and for much the same reasons. The Professor was his friend, his brother, the axis on which his world had moved for a long, long time. But the Professor had plans that Theta had not wanted to be a part of and it had taken some doing, but they had severed their partnership - not half an age before the Time War had reached its peak.

Theta gritted his teeth as he realized he was manipulating time again. He was losing his grip on it and he knew it had to do with his weakened bond; it was damaging his mind as well as Rose's. Only it was happening to him at a slower rate. He hadn't meant to stop time when they'd been in the lab either, but then he had and he hadn't restarted it, content to sit and hold Rose and listen to her heartbeat. He was certain he'd be happy if that's all he did for the rest of time. 

Wrenching his thoughts away from Rose, Theta pushed the strands of time back into place and his feet hit solid ground. He stumbled forward a step, blinking to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness. He was standing on board a ship - a giant ship filled with humans, with aliens, with another Time Lord.

Theta turned around and his eyes met the smug expression of his former friend.

"Koschei."

"Theta!" the Professor greeted him. 

The Professor was certainly dressed the part. He was wearing clothes that hadn't been seen on New Earth ever and hadn't been seen on the old Earth for centuries: a billowy white shirt, a vest, and a cravat. He was old, older than Theta had ever seen him look, but then Theta himself was older now as well.

The two Time Lords regarded each other for a long moment and Theta once again felt time suspend around him, only this time the Professor was the one doing it. He could feel the other Time Lord in his mind, breaching his defenses and poking around like he had every right to be there. 

With an almighty effort, Theta threw him out of his mind and watched the Professor's eyes widen with shock.

"Aha! So you've finally learned the lessons they tried to teach us all those years ago," he said with a wide smile. "I knew you'd get it - with enough lessons."

Theta felt a shiver slide down his backbone at the Professor's words. He well remembered those lessons and he didn't wish to revisit them. 

A moment later he felt time resume its normal progression and guards, one of them Adam and his smirking face, seized his arms. He tried to shrug them off, but their grip was firm and it was useless. They forced him backwards and attached manacles to his hands and feet. His wrists were held firmly upwards at a ninety degree angle, attached to an iron bar that held his arms about thirty centimeters apart and his feet were attached to a slightly longer bar. 

"That's what I like to see," the Professor smirked, surveying him.

"Koschei," Theta started.

"Say my name," he snarled.

"That is your name." 

An instant later a bolt of electricity went through the machine and his whole body arched with the pain. The Professor was suddenly right in front of him, bending close to his ear.

"My name," he whispered, in a low growl.

"Koschei," Theta repeated and again the voltage swept through is system and he cried out in pain.

"I could do this all day," the Professor murmured. His tone was menacing and Theta recoiled. "And you know I'd enjoy it."

"Professor," Theta gave in. "You're called the Professor."

"Now, see!" the Professor stepped backwards and raised his arms in victory. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Theta bit his lip and refused to respond. The Professor clearly wasn't looking for a response anyway because he had turned away slightly and was addressing the gathered crowd.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Theta," the Professor announced with a bite to the last word. "We were," he paused, "colleagues on Gallifrey! I am so happy that he decided to rejoin me and be here to witness my triumph!"

The Professor grinned widely at Theta and it sent another shiver down Theta's spine. It was hard to find a trace of his boyhood friend in that expression of wild glee. 

"This isn't you," Theta pleaded. "You're better than this."

The Professor invaded Theta's space again, making deliberate eye contact. "Oh, but it is. And I think you know that better than anyone, don't you Theta?"

Theta didn't respond and the electricity coursed through his body, higher and more painful than the last time.

"I don't like to repeat myself," the Professor snapped. 

"What was the question? I missed it," Theta responded and braced himself for the onslaught of pain. 

When it passed he focused on the Professor's face so close to his own and smiled. "I know you're better than this and I won't give you the satisfaction of hearing me say that you aren't."

This time the pain seemed interminable and Theta distantly heard his voice crying out in agony as the electricity pumped through his system. He knew his body could and would fight it off and that Koschei wouldn't kill him outright and ruin his fun, but it didn't make the torture any easier to bear. 

When he could breathe again, he could hear Koschei's voice addressing the crowd with words of exultation. He forced himself to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, regulating his heartbeat to prepare for the inevitable next dose of pain. 

Closing his eyes, he sought out Rose in his mind. He couldn't find her exactly, just a burning feeling of peace. He shook his head, not sure what was happening, but he sent out his message of love and regret anyway.

"Aha!" 

The Professor's voice sounded close to his face and his eyes jerked open to see the man's face a mere hairsbreadth from his own. 

"The mighty Theta has gone and gotten himself a girlfriend," the Time Lord's lip curled. "I can't believe you've found a girl worthy enough of you. Does she give out easily? Is she willing to lower herself? To debase herself? Don't worry, I'll find out soon enough; bring her here and see what exactly the attraction is."

Theta roared with anger and the Professor threw back his head and laughed. 

"There's the spirit!" he chortled. "Don't worry...I'll let you watch."

Theta growled again, hands clenching uselessly in the air. He could see the Professor's mouth open, but before he could speak a whirring sound caught their attention and they both looked to the side. 

Theta felt his hearts race as he watched the TARDIS materialize. For a moment there was dead silence in the room as everyone stared. He could sense Koschei's desire for the ship, but he couldn't wrench his eyes away from the loyal blue box. 

And then the doors flew open and a golden light began to spill into the room. All around the room, people were dropping to the ground, unable to stand against the powerful blaze. The Professor staggered and fell forwards to his knees. The bars that were holding Theta into place vaporized and Theta dropped to the ground. 

The light resolved itself and Rose Tyler stepped out of the TARDIS.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose Tyler saves the day

Rose could sense the vastness of the room and the people falling to their knees around her, but she dismissed them with barely a thought. All of her focus was on the Time Lord seated on the floor, one hand outstretched and whose crystal blue eyes were wide as they stared at her.

"What have you done?" he yelled. "What the hell have you gone and done?"

"I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me," she spoke, vaguely aware that her voice sounded different.

Theta stayed where he was, crouched on the floor and staring up at her. "You've looked into the Time Vortex, Rose! No one is meant to see that!"

She could feel her love - her and the TARDIS' combined love - flowing through her and she focused it on him, letting it blaze from her eyes and into his mind. He gasped, tears filling his eyes as he continued to gaze at her.

"Kill her!" a voice sounded and she turned to the side.

A dozen lasers from as many guns were streaming towards her. She didn't even blink, just lifted her hand and watched the lasers retreat backwards exploding the guns in their owners hands.

"I am the Bad Wolf!" Rose intoned. "I create myself. I take the words and I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here."

Even as she said it, she waved her hand and she could see the words inserting themselves into her timeline. In multiple languages, multiple references, multiple places throughout her time with Theta, she deliberately placed the words.

"Rose!" Theta's panicked voice cut through her consciousness. "You've got to stop this! You've got the entire vortex running through your head; no human is meant to do that. You're going to burn!"

She looked down at him, the love she felt filling every atom of her being. 

"I'm not human anymore," she told him. "I want you safe, my love. Protected from the false god."

"You can't hurt me!" a man's voice interrupted and Rose turned her gaze to him. 

He looked pathetic to her, kneeling there, trying and failing to rise to his feet, as if he could stand before her power. "I'm immortal!" he yelled in alarm.

"You are tiny," Rose announced and as she said it, she knew it to be true. "I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I remove you."

Rose reached out a hand and a ball of light surrounded the Professor. He screamed as he was lifted from the ground, suspended two meters in the air.

"Everything must come to an end!" she cried. "Everything must die."

Rose turned her head and around her the people began to elevate from the ground, hanging in the air in the same manner as the Professor. Vaguely she saw Adam Mitchell among the lot of them, but he was as nothing to her. She tilted her head as she contemplated what to do with them. Part of her wanted to destroy them and part wanted to rehabilitate them, but somehow she knew neither was the right answer. 

In her mind she suddenly saw a picture. It was a distant planet, dark because the sun had gone out. There had been people living there for centuries, for an age, but they had died out; the planet did not easily sustain life. The planet was so far out that there was no way back, but close enough that there would always be that dark mistress: hope, there to taunt and beckon and torment. 

"The Time War ends here!" she announced in a voice that was loud enough to echo through to the very end of time.

"I will not die!" the Professor yelled, writhing in his bonds of light. "I cannot die!"

With a wave of her hand, Rose sent the whole lot of people flying through the vortex to that far distant planet.

"Rose!" Theta cried. "You've done it, now let it go!"

"How can I let go of this?" she asked, feasting her eyes on the dimensions and timelines swirling through her mind.

She could see where the Professor and his company had ended up and she dismissed it, flipping to another where she could see her and Theta cradling a newborn baby, another where she and Theta and were old and grey and walking a dirt path hand-in-hand, another where she and Theta were fighting rebel forces on a faraway planet, Jack and Martha and an unknown woman at their side, another where she and Theta were writhing together infused in the golden light as naked as the day they were born, another where she and Theta were laughing and talking with an elderly Jackie and Tony, another where she and Theta were in a jail cell laughing about their escapades. No matter where she looked she could see her and Theta, together, as it should be.

"This is wrong! You can't control life and death!" Theta exclaimed, his voice dragging her back to the present.

"But I can," she smiled at him. And then a bolt of pain went through her skull and she winced. "I can see the sun and the moon, the turn of the planets, the galaxies. But why does it hurt?"

"It's going to kill you and it's my fault." He turned away from her, eyes cast down.

She stared at him, understanding for the very first time his reluctance, his misery, his self-doubt, his self-imposed burden of guilt. She dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out her hands to grasp his. 

"Oh my love," she murmured. "It's not your fault."

He kissed her hands, his face bathed in the warm golden light still spilling from her pores. She could feel an abrasion under her fingers and she turned his hands over, spying a burn on his wrists. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his skin in not quite a kiss and she felt the light healing Theta's damaged body. Pulling backwards she smiled at his still bowed head.

"I can see it all," she told him. "All that is, all that was, all that could be."

"That's what I can see," he said, looking up at her at last. "All the time."

"It's healing me," she said in awe, even as she felt another bolt of pain

He looked up, eyes lighting with sudden hope. "Rose?"

"We need to go," she said, realization hitting her along with another spasm. 

He allowed himself to be drawn to his feet and he followed after her, their hands still joined and bathed by the light. She stumbled the last few steps to the TARDIS, but a moment later they had crossed the threshold and the TARDIS was holding out her arms to welcome her back. She felt the light blaze brighter and brighter and she opened her mouth and screamed as her very cells rewrote themselves. A moment - though afterwards she recollected the time differently; sometimes it was a second, other times it felt like a millennium, other times she was certain in some timeline she was still burning - and then the light was gone and she was left, gasping on the floor of the TARDIS.

Above her she could see Theta. He was kneeling beside her, holding her hand and staring at her with awe.

"You're alive," he murmured.

"Well-spotted," she teased, smiling when he narrowed his eyes.

"You shouldn't be alive."

"And yet, here I am!" she used his hand for leverage to sit up.

"Rose," he said.

"Theta," she mimicked.

"Why are you alive? You consumed the Time Vortex! If a Time Lord did that they would turn into a god, a vengeful god."

"Not a Time Lord," she shrugged. "And I've never had much use for gods; much prefer being a human, or something close enough anyway."

"But Rose..."

"And you can put that away," she told him, indicating the sonic he had whipped out and was using to scan her. 

"I need to run tests," he protested.

"And you can," she said. "But later. For now I can remember everything; it's not like it wiped my memory. I can tell you what happened. But can we do it somewhere else? Perhaps over some food?"

Theta looked like he wanted to push it, but at her forceful look gave in, helping her to her feet. Together they moved out of the console room and into the kitchen. On the table were two large baskets full of what looked like golden potato wedges.

"What is this?" she asked, her stomach growling as she smelled the delicious odor of the food. 

"Chips!" Theta said in surprise as he took in the sight. "A food from Old Earth which didn't make the cut to New Earth. Apparently the TARDIS has decided to expand her culinary skills."

Rose smiled as she sat down and picked up a chip, popping it into her mouth. The salty taste hit her palate and she moaned. 

"These are gorgeous!" she enthused. "The TARDIS really does know me!"

"Try putting this on them!" Theta pushed a bottle of dark liquid at her. 

She shrugged and upended the bottle, drenching the chips with it and ignoring Theta's concerned look. The next bite was even more delicious than the first, the flavor bursting over her tongue. She ate with enthusiasm, smiling when Theta dug into his own basket with gusto after watching her for a few moments.

For a time they ate in silence, stopping only to sip their tea that the TARDIS had also provided, fixed exactly the way she liked it. At last Rose sat back, sighing with contentment at her full belly. Theta leaned back as well, eyes concerned as he observed her.

"I'm really okay," she reassured him. 

"What did you do?" he asked.

"The pills," she suddenly remembered, pulling them out and setting the on the table. "Look!"

Theta picked up the bottle and stared at the label where it read: méchant loup. 

"That's Bad Wolf in French!" Theta exclaimed.

"It is!" Rose smiled. "The TARDIS gave them to me to boost my immune system so that we could become one without it killing me. I took more than the recommended dosage and I think that's what I was meant to do."

Theta was watching her closely and he motioned for her to go on.

"So after you disappeared - not a great plan, that," she admonished and he had the good sense to look sheepish. "I convinced Captain Jack to bring me to the TARDIS." Theta growled and Rose grinned at him. "I like him; he's a good man."

Theta's eyes narrowed. "He's not a real Captain."

Rose shrugged. "So you've said. Anyway, he brought me to the TARDIS and when I got to her I could hear her in my head and it didn't even hurt for her to be there. She was giving me instructions, how to open up her heart and I just did what she told me to do."

"So you opened up the heart of the TARDIS and consumed her?"

"Well, we consumed each other," Rose amended. "She was within me and I could see all of her knowledge and use her power. And she healed me, Theta. She rewrote my biology; I could feel her doing it."

Rose's eyes were wide as she remembered the feeling of changing, of the TARDIS invading every atom of her being and changing them into something new. 

"So you're..." he broke off and then stood and held out his hand.

She nodded and took it and together they walked out of the room. The TARDIS had placed the Med Bay directly next door and Rose sent a thank you in her mind to the ship and felt her warm hum of acknowledgement. This time Rose sat on a stool, refusing to go near the metal table where her worst nightmare had come true. 

Theta worked in total silence, attaching wires to her, taking a blood sample, and using the sonic to scan her. Rose bore it as long as she could, but eventually she could tell he was stalling.

"You've already run about fifty tests, haven't you?" she accused, keeping her voice light to take the sting from her words. 

"I have," he said, turning back towards her and she read the hope in his eyes. 

"And?" she prompted.

"You're not dying anymore," he told her. "The TARDIS rewrote your cells so that you can handle our bond with no harm to your system. Our lifespans will be able to stay matched." 

Slowly a smile spread across his face, morphing into a wide grin. She squealed in response to his words and leapt up, throwing herself into his arms. He caught her and spun her in circles, heedless of the medical equipment they were scattering.

"I think this calls for a celebration," she said, pulling back a little.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Oh," she said airily. "I have one or two ideas."

"Just one or two?" he teased, his eyes firmly on her lips.

"Or maybe more."


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a very enthusiastic celebration (PWP)

Rose let herself be consumed by Theta's kiss. She allowed him access to her mouth, his tongue scraping against her own and his hands on her shoulders. At length she used her hands on his shoulders to allow herself to breathe. 

He released her reluctantly and she smirked as she looked at him. His pupils were blown wide and his tongue was running over his lip, collecting every bit of her taste that he could.

"I want back in," she stated and his eyes went even wider.

"Rose," he started.

"No arguments," she shook her head. "I've missed you and I know you've missed me. I'm not willing to be parted from you as long as I live."

He nodded quickly at her commanding tone. "I've got the place."

He turned towards the door, still carrying her, and entered the door directly across the hall with a light chuckle. 

"Think the TARDIS approves," he said as he pushed open the door.

"Of course she does," Rose said with a gentle pat to the doorframe. "She wants us both to be happy."

"And I am happy, Rose Tyler," Theta said, kicking the door closed behind him and lowering her to the ground.

Rose looked around the room in appreciation. It was, for lack of a better description, a room made for shagging. The lights were dim and the ceiling was covered with the swirls of a supernova. The floor was made of squishy stuff, soft and almost spongy under Rose's feet. Pillows were scattered here and there throughout the room. The only furniture in the room was a bench that ran the length of the far wall and cupboards which lined the side wall. Through the opened door of one, Rose spotted various implements for the enhancement of pleasure that brought a catch to her breath. 

Rose nodded with appreciation and looked back at Theta. He was clearly enjoying her reaction and he grinned at her, his look turning dark as she licked her lips in anticipation.

"May I?" he whispered, his fingers reaching for the hem of her shirt. 

She nodded and he lifted it up and over her head, bending forward to press a kiss to the valley between her breasts.

"You're so beautiful," he told her. "I don't tell you enough, but you are. I mean, look at you."

He stepped backwards, admiring her figure even as he dropped his leather jacket to the floor and pulled off his own shirt. He kicked off his shoes and nodded at her to do the same. Next, his hands went to the button of his jeans and he waited for her to copy him. Matching her movements to his, Rose lowered her jeans and set them to the side. 

"Look at you," he repeated, stretching out one hand and running it down her side, fingers skating lightly past her knickers to her thigh. He left his hand there and brought his other one up to rest on her other hip. 

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you," she responded, placing her hands flat on his chest so that she could feel his twin heartbeats. "And you're beautiful too."

He quirked an eyebrow and she shook her head at his reluctance to believe her. "You are. You hide it all the time under those big jumpers and that coat. Not that I don't love that coat," she hastened to add, a sudden vision of wearing that coat and nothing else one day flashing into her mind.

She jumped and stared at him, raising an eyebrow when he smirked at her. 

"You're back!" she exclaimed. 

"I am," he confirmed and whether it was out loud or in her head, she wasn't entirely sure. "And let me tell you, you feel amazing."

As he spoke his thumbs moved to stroke her center through her knickers and she jerked at the sensation. 

"Wet already," he said appreciatively.

She thought about being embarrassed, but then she caught sight of his erection and the feeling faded. "For you," she murmured. 

"Yeah?" he asked, his right thumb finding her apex and applying pressure.

She squirmed as he rubbed her clit in small circles, widening her stance to allow him better access. His other thumb slipped further down, pressing her knickers up inside of her for a moment. 

"So wet for me," he grinned, repeating the movement and pressing a little further in this time.

"Please," she gasped.

"Please what, love?"

"Please I need," she gasped as he increased the movement of his thumb on her clit. "I need more."

"Like this?" he asked.

His left thumb suddenly slipped beneath her knickers, thrusting upwards into her body. She moaned in agreement, her eyes slamming shut.

"Open your eyes, Rose," he whispered. "I want to see you."

She nodded, forcing her eyes open even as his thumbs continued their movement against her body. He swiveled his left thumb as he plunged in and out of her, his right thumb moving in tighter and tighter circles. She could feel her eyelashes fluttering as her orgasm built.

"Come for me, love," he encouraged.

Rose moaned as pleasure coursed through her body, leaving her fingers and toes tingling. When she could focus, she shook her head at the pleased grin on Theta's face as he licked her juices off of his thumb. 

"One," he said, and then scooped her into his arms, laying her down and dropping to his knees beside her.

Without giving her a chance to respond, he removed her bra and closed his mouth over her right breast, sucking hard while caressing her other nipple. Her hands clenched in the fabric beneath her as his teeth scraped across her skin, sending sparks of want through her belly. He let go of her and smiled as he shifted positions, encouraging her to spread her legs so he could kneel between them. 

Once he was situated where he wanted to be, he resumed his attention to her breasts, switching his mouth to her left breast while his fingers played with her right. He experimented with the pressure and his ministrations, swirling his tongue around her tip before sucking her into his mouth completely. With his other hand he pinched and rolled her nipple, lightly flicking the hardened bud with his thumbnail.

He released her with a pop and then blew across her wet nipple, causing her back to arch off the ground. He grinned and deliberately licked his way across her breasts to her other peak and then back before leaning back and blowing across her chest. The alternating sensations left her panting beneath him, a zing of pleasure going straight to her core. 

"So beautiful," he murmured, never taking his eyes from her breasts. "So perfect. So responsive to what I do."

He pressed a kiss to the valley between her breasts and pinched both nipples at the same time and her whole body spasmed. He repeated the action and another wave of pleasure washed through her, starting in her scalp and spreading to her toes.

When she opened her eyes, he winked at her. "Two."

She shook her head at him, reaching out one hand and grasping his erection. He was already hard and he jumped at her touch. She smirked at him and stroked her hand down and back up. He allowed that for a few movements of her hand before taking her wrist and gently removing her grip from him.

She sighed at the loss and he smiled. 

"We've still got some time," he promised her, scooting backwards.

Theta lowered his face to her center and inhaled her aroma. Rose squirmed as he blew that breath back out over her. He stuck out his tongue and swiped it from her arse to her clit in one long broad stroke. She keened as he turned his head and sucked on her inner thigh and nipped at her soft flesh.

He soothed the spot with his tongue before pressing a kiss to her clit. A moment later he dragged the tight bud into his mouth, his tongue dancing around it and lightly sucking on it. Releasing her, he lapped at her wetness. His sounds of enjoyment vibrated against her skin and she could feel him smile against her as her thighs clenched briefly before relaxing. 

"So many ideas for the future," he murmured, rocking back a little so he could look upwards. 

The sight of him nestled between her thighs was erotic, and Rose gulped as images flooded her brain. Images that involved some of the gadgets in the closets. 

"That's right, love," he encouraged her fantasy. "We'll get to all of them. All the time in the world now and we're going to enjoy every. Single. Second."

He punctuated his words by dipping his tongue into her center and she moaned. His tongue flicked in and out of her, faster and faster and she whined with her growing desire, resisting the urge to touch his head as it bobbed between her thighs. 

After every fifth stroke he would move to her clit, sucking hard. His hands rested on her thighs, keeping her legs still as he continued his attentions. She could feel another orgasm building slowly and she panted, her head rolling back and forth. She was almost there and she needed more. 

Closing her eyes, she let herself be swept away on the images that Theta was broadcasting to her. She saw herself bent over the bench, Theta wielding a firm round paddle. The image changed into Theta's naked arse in the air while she prowled about the room, a riding crop dangling from her fingers. The image changed into her pleasuring herself with a vibrator while Theta sat in the corner, bound and unable to do anything but watch. The image changed and this time she was handcuffed while Theta used the same vibrator on her, bringing her to the edge again and again and again before finally allowing her to fall over. 

As the image of herself broke apart, so did her real self and she screamed her pleasure to the ceiling. It took her longer to recollect herself and when she did, Theta was stretched beside her, gazing at her with adoration.

"Love you," he murmured and she could feel the truth of it to her very core. "Also three."

"Theta." She turned towards him and placed both hands on the side of his face. "I love you so much!"

She reached down and took his erection in hand, stroking him gently. She could see his hands clench and unclench and she increased the tempo, pausing to swipe her thumb over the tip to smear his precum down his cock. 

"Rose," he groaned. "I want to be inside of you."

"I want that too," she said, adding a twist on her way down. "But not yet. You have a, frankly impressive, refractory period - and it's my turn to take advantage of that."

He preened at the compliment and she took advantage of that to squeeze the base of his cock. His back arched and he swore long and explicitly. The TARDIS didn't choose to translate that particular bit of Gallifreyan and Rose raised an eyebrow. 

"Language," she teased, adding her other hand to his cock and working him with both. 

His sound of protest was interrupted by a long moan and she smirked at the response. 

"Do you want to come?" she asked and watched as he furiously nodded his head. "So, come."

Rose gave him a particularly hard tug as she spoke and he came, spurting over her hand. She worked him through his orgasm and then scooted backwards, mimicking his movement from earlier. 

She smoothed her tongue over the tip of him, cleaning the cum off of him before turning her attention to the puddle on his stomach. She felt his groan against her mouth as she lapped him up. Lifting her head, she made eye contact and deliberately licked her lips. 

His cock, which had faded somewhat after his orgasm perked up again and she chuckled.

"Happy to see me?" she teased him and he rolled her eyes.

"Happy to see me," he repeated. "All the things to say in time and space and she goes with 'happy to...'" the rest of his words turned into a long groan as she closed her mouth over his cock.

She swirled her tongue around the tip before relaxing her throat and taking him in as far as she could. Hollowing her cheeks, she sucked hard and then released him before he could truly react. His eyes were closed when she looked at him and she tutted. 

"Now, now that won't do," she chastised. "You told me I couldn't close my eyes, hardly fair if you do."

His eyes flew open and he stared at her, his mouth open. 

"You'll want to watch this," she encouraged before dropping her head and taking him back into her mouth. 

She kept pressure on the base of his cock with her fingers as she bobbed up and down on him and she could hear his steady groans as she moved. Pulling off of him completely, she swiped her tongue around the head of his cock, tasting the beginning of another orgasm getting close to erupting through him. 

"Rose!" he cried.

She slid her mouth over him again, using her teeth to gently scrape against him. She hollowed her cheeks again and just as she sucked hard, she flicked his balls lightly with her thumbnail and felt his hips leave the ground as he arched upwards, his cum spurting hot and wet against the back of her throat. She swallowed him down, taking the time to swirl her tongue around him one more time before releasing him. 

"That makes two," she murmured as she crawled up his body and she smirked as his eyes flew open at her words. "I'm thinking of making us even."

"Rose," he interrupted.

"But," she continued. "Just for tonight, I guess I'll let you win."

He rolled his eyes as he pulled her down for a kiss. 

When he released her, he spoke against her lips, "Very thoughtful of you."

"I try," she agreed, wiggling her hips.

He groaned and reached between them, grasping his cock. "Let me," he said.

She shrugged and let him stroke himself a few times to bring his cock back to attention. 

"So beautiful like this," he murmured. "Love seeing you riding me."

"Love riding you," she said, gasping as his cock teased her entrance. 

Rose slid down on him, unable to stop the whimper at the feeling of him filling her up. She could feel tears pricking her eyes and he froze, hands on her hips to stop her movement. 

"Rose?" he questioned. "What's wrong, love?"

Without responding verbally, she located the door in her mind and swung it wide, admitting him fully back inside. She allowed the emotions she was feeling to swirl outwards, covering him as completely as the light of Bad Wolf had done earlier. In return he sent his feelings of love and devotion to flood her and she felt the tears spill over at the intensity of everything he felt for her.

A moment later she felt him arch up into her and she threw her head back in ecstasy. It took no time at all in this shared state for them to find a rhythm that worked and she slid downwards as his hips came up, giving him pleasure even as she sought her own. 

"Rose!" he called and she opened her eyes to find his. 

She felt a familiar warmth emanating from her and she looked down to see a residual glow on her skin. It enveloped Theta as well and she silently questioned him and felt his joy. It was Bad Wolf, working to complete their bond: not as a Time Lord with a human, but as her newly altered state, fully able to bear the bond. 

The light grew as their pleasure mounted and Rose couldn't look away from Theta, even if she had wanted to do so. Rose felt her consciousness expanding to make room for his, could feel his consciousness welcoming her in. The light radiated outward in circles, starting small and growing larger and larger until they were the very center of a pulsing ball of light. As they reached the pinnacle of desire, the light pulsed brighter until Rose was sure it would blind them and yet her eyes adjusted at once. She knew she was both looking at the light and, at the same time, the light was inside of them both, binding them together forever. 

Rose could feel her orgasm hit her and she saw Theta open his mouth with pleasure and realized she could both feel his pleasure and her own. The ecstasy of their combined orgasm spun her higher and higher and she and Theta danced among the stars for a split second and for all of eternity all at once.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of conversation

Rose woke up slowly, her body aching deliciously. She could feel the low hum of Theta's presence in her mind and the familiar sonic noises and clicks that meant he was tinkering nearby. Burrowing deeper into the pillow, she thought back to the rest of their evening. They had stayed in that delightful room for hours, bringing her total orgasm count to seven and his to six. She was sure he had one more in him, but knew he needed to win, just for the night. Afterwards sated and sleepy, they had enjoyed another serving of chips and tea from the TARDIS before collapsing into bed.

Rolling over, Rose blinked at her Time Lord. His jacket was hanging on the back of his chair and she appreciated the way his shoulders stretched the navy jumper he was wearing. No matter what, even after all the mornings of waking up and seeing him, she never grew tired of the sight. She smiled at the thought of waking up every morning for forever just like this. 

"Morning," she greeted him at last.

He looked over his shoulder, his crystal blue eyes finding hers and the corners crinkling with his smile. "Good morning, love."

"What's the plan then?" she asked, arching her back and stretching, enjoying the way his eyes zeroed in on her breasts.

"Erm, we're still in the vortex so..." he let his sentence trail off.

"Theta," she said, pushing back the covers and hopping of bed. "As much as I heartily approve of spending another day with you shagging in the vortex, we've got to check in with Berkshyre. There's still work to do. And I want to talk to everyone without passing out every five minutes."

His expression tightened at the reminder of her recent sickness and he turned back to his desk. She padded over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing the top of his head.

"Love? I'm okay, now," she reassured him. "It wasn't your fault and I don't blame you. Besides it's over now."

"Could happen again," he muttered.

"My cells are different now though."

"Not the same thing," he said and she could practically hear the accompanying eyeroll. "But something could still happen, something to separate us."

She moved around him so she was perched on the edge of the desk. "It could," she agreed, "But we're pretty smart, you and me, and we'll get through it. I believe in us."

He nodded slowly. "I believe in us too."

"Good," she said, hopping down and dropping a kiss on his forehead. "Now, I'm gonna take a shower and after breakfast, let's see how everyone is surviving on New Earth."

He joined her in the shower, lifting her up and taking her right there against the shower wall. It was the perfect way to start off the day, seconded only by making a proper fry-up for breakfast, standing side by side with Theta. As they ate Theta regaled her with the virtues of tea and they joked and laughed in a way that reminded Rose of Pete's mountain cabin, except this time Theta didn't retreat into himself if she jumped on the wrong subject.

Oh, she was sure that he still would from time to time. He had seen too much war and destruction for him to be able to waltz merrily through life without a care. He still hadn't asked what she'd done with the Professor and she knew that there was a story there, an argument perhaps, tears definitely - but that they would get through because that's what they did. But the key was that they would get through; she wasn't sitting around afraid that Theta would leave her and he was beginning to believe she was truly going to stay with him.

After breakfast they made their way to the console room where Rose hopped up on the jumpseat while Theta fussed with the controls. When it became clear that he was not doing a lot towards actual piloting, Rose cleared her throat, making him jump.

"Everything alright there?" she asked.

"Yep!" he exclaimed, spinning another dial in an aimless sort of way.

"Theta," she said gently."We've got to go back."

"Oh, I know," he said, shoulders slumping. 

She narrowed her eyes, unsure what the holdup was. Try as she might, she couldn't quite parse out his thoughts on the subject either. She had a sneaky feeling he was thinking in Gallifreyan about whatever it was he was so concerned about and she got the general feeling of unease but nothing else. Nonetheless he had them on their way in the next few minutes and Rose leaned back in the seat and enjoyed the ride. 

"I remember piloting," she told him, watching him move about.

"Do you?" he asked, smacking a part of the console with a mallet. "Do you want to try again?"

"Yeah, I do," she agreed. "Not today, but sometime."

He grinned at her and it seemed happier. They landed with a soft bump and Rose glanced warily at the doors.

"Before we go out there, can you please double-check that we're in the right place? I don't fancy having skipped ahead another couple years."

"Are you doubting my superior piloting?" he asked, putting a hand on his chest in mock concern.

Rose snorted. "Considering our last trips ended up with us way back in time and then two years ahead - yeah."

Theta rolled his eyes but consulted the monitor with a thoughtful air, even whipping a pair of wire frame spectacles which quite literally took Rose's breath away as images of him wearing that and nothing else flooded her.

He looked up with a smirk, still wearing the glasses. "All clear, Rose Tyler."

She sucked in a breath and hopped down, holding out her hand. He pocketed the glasses - much to her equal parts relief and sadness - and they exited the TARDIS together. They were again parked in the woods and Rose noted to her relief that it looked exactly like the last time. 

When they exited the woods and found themselves back on the main thoroughfare, Rose let out the sigh she hadn't even realized she was holding when she caught sight of Tony racing down the road towards them looking precisely the same as he had last time they had seen him.

"Rose!" he yelled. "Hi Theta! I thought I heard you arriving! Did you bring the ship back? Can I go on a ride with you? Jack told me all about it! He's at the house! He's awesome!"

Rose laughed at his waterfall of words and Theta chuckled as well, though he narrowed his eyes at the mention of Jack. 

"Sometime we'll let you come with us," Rose reassured him. "Not this trip because Mum would kill us both, but sometime."

He sighed deeply at not being allowed to come with them on a trip right at the moment, but led them back up the road still chatting. From him they learned that they had skipped about four days, something which Rose jabbed Theta with her elbow over and Theta pretended not to have heard, and that Jake was planning to leave for Londyn this afternoon. 

"And Mickey's going with him," Tony informed them.

"What?" Rose interrupted.

"Yeah!" Tony's chest puffed up with the importance of getting to share the latest news. "Him and Martha and Mickey are all going. Mickey's at the house too," he added like an afterthought.

Rose exchanged a look with Theta, but before they could continue this very interesting vein of conversation, they had arrived at the house and the door was flung open. Jackie came hurrying down the path to throw her arms around Rose and then, much to everyone's surprise, around Theta as well. 

Theta's look of shock made Rose laugh out loud and Jackie tutted at him before turning back to Rose. 

"Come on in! I've got food on and Jack is here and Mickey too. Mickey's telling us about his plans. That boy's gone and grown up while you've been away."

She wasn't scolding, exactly, but Rose still felt rebuked. She gave Theta a small smile when his hand closed around hers. As they followed Jackie into the house, Rose couldn't help but notice healing scratches on Jackie's neck and arms and her stomach squeezed again. She knew she had been too sick to offer comfort to Jackie in the aftermath of the ATMOS attack, but it still hurt anyway. 

Theta was sending her reassurances through their mental bond and she focused on that, forcing herself to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. She wasn't willing to spend the entire visit angry at herself for the decisions she had made. 

Once inside they were enthusiastically greeted by Jack and Mickey, though there was a definite coolness in Mickey's attitude towards her. Jackie pressed mugs of tea in their hands and eventually relented on her offerings of food after they reassured her several times they'd really just eaten. 

Jackie wanted to give her a tour of the house at once and they set off to do that. Rose wasn't particularly interested in seeing every detail, but she wasn't entirely sure how long Theta's willingness to participate in domestics would last and she wanted some time with Jackie before they headed off. 

She was standing in Jackie's bedroom, listening to going on about the new bedspread when Rose felt the love she had for her mum fill her eyes with tears.

"Oh Mum," Rose said, turning and hugging Jackie.

"Rose? Love?" Jackie said, patting her back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rose said, though she knew her tears were making that hard to believe.

"Is that alien treating you wrong?" Jackie asked in her best mama hen voice. "Cause you know I won't hesitate to knock some sense into him."

"He isn't," Rose reassured her. 

She pulled back and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jackie sat next to her, turning towards her and giving her a searching look. "What's wrong then?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy you're okay. I'm happy that you've built this life here and that you're happy," Rose told her.

Jackie smiled. "I am happy, love. I even met someone. His name's Howard and he runs the store. He's not much of a looker, but he's kept an eye out for us, even come round to fix the roof and the plumbing."

"He treat you alright?" Rose turned the question back around.

"Of course," Jackie said. "I wouldn't put up with him if he didn't."

Rose laughed and Jackie joined in. It relieved some of the tension she was feeling to listen to Jackie. 

"Now, you're sure you okay?" Jackie wanted to know. "Theta still hang the stars?"

"He does," Rose smiled at the question. "He's been so good to me and I'm so happy with him."

She bit her lip, considering telling her mum about the whole immortality thing, but thought better of it. Their reunion was too new and fragile to bear that news. She teared up again and Jackie narrowed her eyes.

"He got you pregnant then?" 

"What?" Rose shouted and felt Theta swallow a biscuit whole and start coughing across the house. "No!"

"You're just awfully teary," Jackie said. "Might be hormones."

"It's not, I promise!" Rose exclaimed. "I'm not pregnant and not planning on it for awhile yet."

Jackie nodded her head in satisfaction. "You two need to have a proper marriage ceremony first anyway."

Rose rolled her eyes a little, but settled on the bed a little firmer. She had a feeling they were going to be there awhile. And indeed, the two of stayed there chatting for the next hour. Rose had fully relaxed with the knowledge that her mum and brother were truly doing well and Jackie seemed to understand that being connected to an alien meant that things might be different and avoiding all the questions concerning certain aspects of alien biology.

When Tony came looking for them, Rose pulled him into an impromptu hug which he submitted to more or less willingly before pulling away and saying that Jack was telling good stories and they didn't want to miss them and anyway, Theta had told him he should go find Rose. 

"I'm happy for you, love," Jackie said when she saw the way Rose smiled at the mention of her Time Lord.

"Me too," Rose said, giving her a side hug.

When they reentered the living room they found Jack telling a story that sounded like it had been a bit inappropriate and was probably part of the reason Theta had sent Tony from the room. Rose walked over to Theta, bending down and giving him a kiss. He smiled at her when she pulled back, catching her hand and pressing another kiss to her knuckles, both of them ignoring Tony's sounds of disgust in the background. 

There was an undercurrent of discomfort in Theta's eyes at the sitting still, but she knew he was bearing it for her sake. 

"Soon," she promised him quietly. 

He nodded and let go of her hand reluctantly. Rose smiled at him and walked over to Mickey, gesturing for the back door. He stood up and followed her out without a word. There were two wooden rockers on the porch and Rose settled into one. Mickey looked uncomfortable for a bit, but eventually settled into the other. They sat for a few minutes in silence while Rose thought of what to say. In the end, it was Mickey who broke the silence.

"You really love him?" It was part question, part statement.

"I really do, Micks," Rose said, using his old nickname.

"I'm happy for you then," he told her.

Rose smiled at the echo of her conversation with Jackie. "You sound pretty happy with your decision too. Tony tells me you're going to Londyn with Jake and Martha?"

"Yeah, I am. Think it's about time I go off on my own. Or close to it, anyway."

"What are you going to do there?" 

"Mr. Jefferson isn't strong enough to hold control now that Torchwood is breaking apart. Jake was Suki's second-in-command and they're looking at him to assume power. Not sure he'll want it forever, but for now it's where he needs to be. And Martha and I are going along with him to help," he explained. "Martha's a doctor and I'm good at technology and there's a need for both in Londyn."

Rose listened to him with a slight feeling of awe. His voice as he talked was strong and more powerful than she had ever heard it. It was so awesome to hear him be confident in his life decisions. 

"I'm proud of you, Micks," she said. 

"Thanks," he said, ducking his head a little. "And listen, Rose, I'm sorry for what I said last time you were here. And the time before that. And really ever since Theta came along."

"It's okay."

"No, I was a bit of a prat," he laughed ruefully. "I had a crush on you and I relied on you a lot. When you found him and then went off with him, it just seemed unfair. But Jake and Martha have taught me that you and me, we were better off friends."

"Yeah," she grinned at him, reaching over and picking up his hand, squeezing it. "Best mates, right?"

"Yeah!"

They sat and chatted for a few more minutes. Mickey sharing more of his plans for everything he was planning to do and see in Londyn and Rose telling him about the adventures she'd had with Theta. 

It was Theta who finally interrupted them, coming out on the porch and resting his hand on Rose's shoulder. He listened to them chat for a little bit, even interjecting some anecdotes of his own. In a little bit Jack and Tony appeared on the porch, taking seats on the edge of the porch and then Jackie came out, carrying food.

The five of them continued to sit and talk for a long time. The sun was starting to sink in the western sky when Jake and Martha appeared around the edge of the house.

"Thought we'd find you here," Jake said.

Rose jumped up to give Martha a hug in thanks for what she'd done and Martha expressed her happiness over seeing Rose looking so much better. Mickey gave everyone hugs goodbye, even Jack, and then grumbled at Jack's innuendos. They all waved to Mickey as he disappeared walking between Martha and Jake. 

"Suppose that'll be you off next," Jackie groused when Rose stood up. 

Rose hummed in agreement at her mum, her hand tight in Theta's. Theta was more than ready to leave and though she was happy to visit, this wasn't her home anymore. She shared a tight hug with Jackie and accepted the box of food with only a little complaining, especially when she caught sight of her favorite chocolate biscuits.

Jack offered to walk them back to the TARDIS and of course Tony had to come along too. Jackie stood on the porch and waved them off and when Rose looked back she saw a man walking up the road from the other direction and Jackie's gaze turning towards him with a pleased smile. Rose squeezed Theta's hand as she turned to face forwards and he bumped her shoulder with his own. 

"What's your plan then?" Theta asked Jack as they entered the woods.

"I think I'll be heading back to Cardyff," he told them. "I've got mates there that I'd like to check up on. And then I'll help where I can with the resistance."

"We could drop you off," Rose offered, ignoring Theta's slight growl.

"Would you?" Jack asked. "That'd be great, actually. My vortex manipulator is shot, literally actually, from the whole ATMOS thing."

"Can I come?" Tony demanded.

"Oh hon," Rose sighed, turning and pulling her little brother into another hug. "I promise you, when you're older we'll give you a ride."

"How much older?" he asked, directing his question towards Theta and wiggling out of his sister's grip.

"How old are you? Eleven?" Theta asked. "When's your birthday?"

"In the summer!"

"We'll try for a birthday trip," Theta promised.

Tony shouted with glee and Theta studiously ignored Rose's gaze, muttering something about getting Jackie's forgiveness afterwards that made Jack laugh. Tony settled down when the three of them stepped inside the TARDIS.

"Promise you'll be back?" he asked, his eyes locked on his sister's.

"I promise," she told him with a smile.

Rose closed the door to the sight of him standing forlornly in the woods, kicking at a spare rock. Her heart twisted, but she knew that someday he would get his chance to travel with them. 

Turning towards the console, she heard the strains of music fill the room and she chuckled when she spied both Jack and Theta bobbing in place. 

"Rose!" Theta called, holding out a hand to her. "I just realized something! I can dance!"

She laughed and sashayed her way up the ramp to catch Theta's hand. He twirled her in a circle and then dipped her so she could spy Jack. He was leaning against a pillar, tapping his foot to the music with a pleased expression.

"Jack might like a dance," she suggested.

"He probably would," Theta agreed. "But who with?"

The sounds of all of their combined laughter twined upwards and Rose thought she could hear the TARDIS' gentle amusement at their antics.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which they do some traveling in time and space and our tale comes to an end

The trip through the vortex to Cardyff seemed to take a lot longer than usual and Rose pretended not to notice. It was easy to see that Theta, while he might loudly profess to dislike Jack, actually enjoyed the charming Captain. The three of them even had time to enjoy some tea that the TARDIS provided and a conversation about the limits of what she could produce and what they needed to purchase to keep her stocked. 

When they landed, Theta and Rose leaned on the doorframe, enjoying the breeze while saying farewell. 

"You've got to travel with us sometime, Jack," Rose said. "Somewhere further than just across New Earth."

"I'd like that, Rosie," Jack said and she shook her head at the nickname. "But I've got some work to do and some people to catch up with."

He winked and Theta snorted. "Try to do some of that work fully clothed, hey?" 

Jack waved farewell and they watched him walk away with the sound of his laughter echoing backwards. Closing the door, Theta and Rose turned to look at each other. 

"Just us then?" he asked.

"Yep!"

"Good!"

"Yep!" she smirked at him and together they moved to the console.

"Where are we off to then, Rose Tyler?" he asked, his fingers poised over the controls.

"Ooh, I've got another idea first," she said, narrowing her eyes as she stalked towards him.

His eyes widened as he watched her approach. He backed up as she came closer, ending up tripping over the jumpseat and sitting down in it hard.

"That's exactly where I want you," she said with a nod.

"Rose?" he asked and then squeaked when she reached over and grasped his cock through his jeans.

"Been wanting to do this for awhile and you kept denying me," she said.

"You did this last night," he protested with a moan as she squeezed him again.

"I did, but not here. Not like this."

She dropped to her knees, popping his button open and lowering his zip slowly. 

"Been wanting to do this here," she informed him, releasing his cock from its confines and raising an appreciative eyebrow at its hardness.

"Have you?" His voice was an unnaturally high pitch that she knew he'd deny later.

Instead of answering she lowered her head over his cock, taking him all the way in with one continuous motion. She swirled her tongue around him, tasting the salty taste of time that she was certain was sweeter than any other flavor in any galaxy. She hummed as she bobbed up and down on him, not disguising her pleasure at helping him relax in this way. 

Getting a sudden idea that she wasn't certain originated with her or with him and frankly not thinking it really mattered, Rose pulled backwards releasing him and enjoying his whine at her absence. Swiftly she removed her shirt and bra and then crawled a little closer, kneeling straight so that she could rest his cock between her breasts.

Looking up at him, she could see that the idea had been a good one and was clearly a fantasy of his. His mouth was open as he watched her slide his cock through her breasts, using them to stimulate the majority of his length, she sucked on the tip, swirling her tongue around the tip and using her teeth to slightly graze his skin. 

"Rose!" he exclaimed and she could feel him start to buck and his noises were becoming more pronounced.

"It's okay, love," she told him without releasing her mouth from him. "You can come. I've got you. Come for me, Theta."

His hips jerked involuntarily as he released his load, spurting into her mouth. She released him, still licking her lips and stood up, picking up her discarded clothing.

"Rose," he protested, grabbing her hand and pulling her to stand between his legs. "My turn."

She shook her head. "That was just for you. My present to you for you for putting up with the domestics all day."

"Love, I don't hate all the domestics," he told her.

Rose regarded him, feeling his sincerity in her mind as well as seeing it written across his face. She leaned down and kissed him, pulling back before he could deepen the kiss.

"I believe you," she said. "But I'm in the mood for some travel. Shagging will have to wait."

He groaned as she stepped backwards, his hands leaving her body reluctantly. 

"Just think," she said, snapping her bra in place, "How much better it'll be having to wait all day. Who knows? Maybe we'll get tossed in jail again!"

He half-laughed, half-growled, but stood to his feet, regret in his eyes as he watched her put on her shirt.

"So really," he said, going back to the controls. "Where are we off to?"

"Surprise me!" she laughed. 

"Alright then! I've got just the place!"

He was off, spinning dials and flipping levers and she did a bit too, using the mallet to give a particular stuck button a smack and manipulating a series of dials on the far side. The trip was rockier than usual and they landed with a thump that knocked them both backwards. They lay laughing on the floor for a moment before Theta helped Rose to her feet.

"You're going to want to bundle up for this one," he told her. "There should be a heavy coat in the wardrobe room."

"Oooh," Rose whistled, heading out of the room.

The TARDIS directed her footsteps and the wardrobe room was everything she could have hoped for and more. Two stories tall with racks and racks of clothing stretching through all styles and varieties, Rose was certain she could get lost in there forever. She took her time to admire some more fancy dresses before spying the coats on the far side of the room. She ran her fingers over a tan floor length coat before settling on a thick coat with a fur hood. As an afterthought, she pulled on a pair of snow pants and boots.

Theta was waiting for her and he grinned at her bundled state.

"Don't you need a thicker jacket?" she asked, running her fingers over his chest as she passed him. 

"Nope! Superior biology, remember? I can regulate my body temperature."

He followed her down the ramp and Rose threw open the doors, only to immediately recoil from the blast of tropical heat. 

"Uh Theta?" she said, quickly unzipping her jacket and shrugging out of it. "Pretty sure this place doesn't require winter gear."

He stuck his head out the door and looked around him with a dismal expression. "Again?" he exclaimed.

Rose rolled her eyes and stripped off the rest of her heavy outdoor gear and her long-sleeved shirt and choosing to leave the boots on the floor. Theta left his leather jacket with her stuff and they exited the TARDIS together. 

The air was oppressively hot, but the scenery more than made up for it. The flora and fauna around them were stunning with gorgeous flowers and oddly shaped leaves. She could hear the singing of birds and occasionally spotted one with magnificent colors flitting above her head. The ground under foot was a soft moss and felt heavenly under her bare feet.

"So where are we then?" she asked as they walked. 

"This is Ydolem," he said, scanning a nearby tree with his sonic. "Yep! Ydolem."

"I take it we were meant to be somewhere else."

"Yeah, wanted to take you to this place called Woman Wept," he explained. "The landmass is shaped like a lamenting woman, thus the name. Its sun exploded, freezing everything perfectly. The waves are hundreds of meters tall and it's just spectacular. Someday I'll take you there."

"Why do you want to take me there in particular?" she asked, trying to understand his logic. That planet did indeed sound beautiful, but it didn't hold a huge amount of appeal to her and she couldn't imagine it that high on her priority list.

"Well," he looked around and she realized he was nervous. "It's not just there."

Rose tilted her head to the side, trying to understand what he was having trouble articulating. The undercurrent of his thoughts in Gallifreyan were still there and she couldn't quite get it.

"Theta?" she started and then stopped.

The path they were walking suddenly ended, leaving them on the edge of a cliff. It was both similar to the one she had seen in her dream and different enough that she didn't feel the trepidation she had last time they'd found themselves on a cliff edge. She did tighten her grip on his hand a little, but she trusted he'd talk when he was ready. 

"I was worried," he said eventually. "When you wanted to hurry home. And then when Jackie mentioned children. Worried you'd want to stay there and set up house."

He paused, seeming to search for words and she relaxed her shoulders and let him.

"I'd have stayed. For you," he said and it seemed to take a long time for his words to sink in.

When they did, she turned to face him. "Theta, I'd never ask that of you. I love traveling with you. I'm excited to see what our next adventure is. I don't want a house with curtains and I don't want children right now either. We can talk about that later," she added at his expression.

"Rose Tyler." She was sure now more than ever that he meant the words less as her name and more as a prayer. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. It was metal with the same circular writing she had seen in places in the TARDIS. She took the box from him when he offered and opened it to find a intricate ring. It was made of three strands braided together, two of silver and one of gold. She could spy the same circular writing etched on the inside of the ring and she looked up, tears in her eyes.

"Rose Tyler," he repeated. "I want you to be mine. We've completed the bonding rituals for my race, but I want to honor your traditions as well. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

She reached up to take his face between her hands, her fingers brushing his temples. "I love you, my Theta. Now and forever. I have loved you since you woke up and shouted at me and I'll love you until the day the world stops turning. Nothing will change that. You're stuck with me."

"I love you," he returned. "I've loved you since I woke up and you were knitting a very long scarf. I was scared because I hadn't known love like that and I tried to push you away. But you refused to go. Even when I was certain that the world was going to rip us apart, you still stuck with me. How long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever, my Theta. Forever."

He leaned down and she met him halfway, their lips meeting with a searing kiss. When they finally broke apart, Rose looked down at the ring she was clutching. 

"Put it on me?" she asked.

He smiled tenderly and slid the ring onto her left hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of shouts. Looking above them they saw creatures with long beaks and holding pointed spears yelling at them.

He grabbed her hand. "Run?"

"Run!" she confirmed.

And they did, hand in hand, towards forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support! It's hard to believe it's over. Maybe some day we'll find these two again...


End file.
